Bridges, Miles (1998- )

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    Miles Bridges Will Rejoin Hornets After Felony Domestic Violence Plea Deal

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    Bridges will rejoin the team on a one-year contract after completing a suspension that will sideline him for the first 10 games of the season.Miles Bridges will return to the Charlotte Hornets on a one-year contract next season after he finishes a suspension for pleading no contest to felony domestic violence.Bridges, 25, had been a restricted free agent for the Hornets since June 2022, when he had been expected to negotiate for a $173 million maximum deal over five years. But on June 29, 2022, he was arrested in Los Angeles, accused of beating the mother of his two children in front of the children. In November, he pleaded no contest to one count of felony domestic violence as part of a plea deal that included three years of probation but no jail time.“I sincerely apologize for the pain, embarrassment and disappointment that last year’s incident caused so many people,” Bridges said in a statement through the team on Friday, adding that he was “grateful” to have a second chance to play. He had been with the Hornets since they acquired him in a draft-day deal in 2018. His new one-year contract is for $7.9 million, according to ESPN.Bridges will have to sit out for the first 10 games next season. The N.B.A. suspended him for 30 games in April, but gave him credit for 20 because he did not play last season. N.B.A. Commissioner Adam Silver later told a group of sports editors that Bridges and the league had a “mutual agreement” that he would not play during the 2022-23 season, though he said the agreement did not constitute a suspension. However, in February Bridges had told The Associated Press that he might return in March.As part of his plea deal, Bridges was required to undergo a year of domestic violence counseling, complete 100 hours of community service and go to parenting classes. The victim was also granted a 10-year restraining order. Bridges initially faced several felony charges of domestic violence and child abuse.In the team’s statement on Friday, Hornets General Manager Mitch Kupchak said Bridges’s “commitment to counseling and community service” had factored into Charlotte’s decision to bring him back.“Throughout this process, we have taken a measured and serious approach,” Kupchak said. He added of Bridges, “He has shown remorse, indicated that he has learned from this situation and expressed that it will not happen again.”Bridges said that he had been in therapy and that he understood why people had questioned whether he deserved a second chance. He vowed to earn back everyone’s trust and confidence.Without Bridges last season, the Hornets were the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte’s best player, guard LaMelo Ball, also missed most of the season with injuries. The poor showing positioned the Hornets for a high draft pick, which they used on Alabama’s Brandon Miller at No. 2 overall.Michael Jordan, the former Chicago Bulls great who had owned the Hornets since 2010, announced last month that he would sell his majority stake in the team but stay on as a minority investor. More

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      Adam Silver Defends N.B.A.’s Miles Bridges Suspension

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      Miles Bridges, the former Hornets forward, was credited 20 games toward a suspension for domestic violence. Silver said he felt the move seemed fair since Bridges had not played this season.N.B.A. Commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday defended the unusual disciplinary approach for forward Miles Bridges, who was suspended for 30 games for domestic violence but will miss just 10 games in which he is eligible to play.Bridges, 25, was a restricted free agent but did not sign with a team or play during the 2022-23 season after his arrest in California in June, when he was accused of hitting his girlfriend in front of their children. He pleaded no contest to a felony domestic violence charge in November, but it wasn’t until April 14, after a league investigation, that the N.B.A. announced his punishment: a 30-game suspension, with credit for 20 games because he did not play this season. Typically, players are credited for games only when they are eligible and available to play.On Tuesday, Silver said the league and Bridges had a “mutual agreement” that he would not play during the 2022-23 season — though Silver was careful to say that Bridges was not suspended. Silver said crediting Bridges for 20 games toward the penalty seemed like the right thing to do because he missed a year of income and N.B.A. play. The league also confirmed that Bridges would lose 30 games of pay, even though his suspension would keep him out of just 10 games if he signed a new contract.But if Bridges’s absence this season was supposed to be a form of punishment, it did not appear that way: In December, he joked around with players in Los Angeles at a game between the Lakers and Charlotte Hornets, whom he played for last season. And in February, he told The Associated Press that he might return to play in March. He was sentenced to a year of counseling, and community service. Representatives for Bridges did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Bridges’s punishment has been criticized by some reporters and by fans on social media.The fairness and accountability in the N.B.A.’s disciplinary process has been called into question this season after a series of incidents in which players received different punishments for similar offenses, or were punished more severely than they or their peers felt was fair. League officials said they weigh several factors in meting out penalties, including a person’s past behavior, which may lead to different outcomes. More

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      N.B.A. Suspends Miles Bridges for 30 Games for Domestic Violence

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      Bridges pleaded no contest to felony domestic violence in November. He was accused of assaulting the mother of his children.Miles Bridges, the N.B.A. forward who pleaded no contest to felony domestic violence in the fall, has been suspended for 30 games, the league announced on Friday. Bridges, 25, had played for the Charlotte Hornets for four seasons before he was accused of assaulting his girlfriend in front of their children last June. He was not under contract during the 2022-23 regular season and did not appear in any games.Prosecutors initially charged him with several counts of felony domestic violence and child abuse, though they did not name the victims. The N.B.A. said it would conduct its own inquiry.The league said it had consulted domestic violence experts, interviewed witnesses and the people involved and reviewed materials as part of its investigation. It has been almost 10 months since Bridges was arrested, and more than five months since he was sentenced. Mike Bass, an N.B.A. spokesman, said the league “took the time necessary” to ensure that the investigation was “comprehensive.”Bridges was arrested in Los Angeles on June 29. Around that time, Mychelle Johnson, a former college basketball player who has two children with Bridges, posted photos on Instagram showing what appeared to be bruising and other injuries on her body. She did not mention Bridges, and the post was subsequently deleted. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, in a news release, accused Bridges of causing “great bodily injury.” After pleading no contest to one count of felony domestic violence in November, Bridges was sentenced to probation and 100 hours of community service and ordered to attend counseling and parenting classes. The sentence also included a 10-year restraining order for the victim and weekly drug tests for Bridges.Bridges was a rising star before his arrest, which came on the eve of free agency. He was a restricted free agent projected to receive a maximum contract from Charlotte worth around $173 million. The Hornets had made a qualifying offer to Bridges the day before his arrest. If he has not signed it, and the team has not withdrawn it, he remains a restricted free agent. Charlotte did not answer a question from The New York Times about Bridges’s contract status, but said in a statement that the “investigation and ruling were the expected next steps in the process” and the team would not comment further at this time. Klutch, the agency that represents Bridges, did not respond to a request for comment.The N.B.A. is crediting Bridges for 20 games of his suspension because he did not play this season. Bridges attended a Hornets game against the Lakers in Los Angeles in December, which would not have been allowed if he had been suspended. In February, Bridges told The Associated Press during a Michigan State men’s basketball game that he might return to the N.B.A. in March.The N.B.A.’s collective bargaining agreement stipulates that a conviction is not required for a violation of the league’s domestic violence policy. It empowers Commissioner Adam Silver, based on the finding of the investigation, to “fine, suspend, or dismiss and disqualify” a player “from any further association with the N.B.A.” for violating the policy.There were several notable suspensions in the N.B.A. this season.In September, the Boston Celtics suspended Coach Ime Udoka for the season for violating team policy by having a relationship with a subordinate, according two people who were not authorized to discuss the punishment publicly. They then fired him in February, according to a person who was not authorized to comment publicly.In November, the Nets suspended guard Kyrie Irving indefinitely after he shared an antisemitic film on Twitter and repeatedly refused to disavow antisemitism. He missed eight games. He was later traded to the Dallas Mavericks after negotiations over a contract extension broke down.Last month, the N.B.A. suspended Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant for eight games after he brandished a gun in an Instagram Live video after a game against the Denver Nuggets. More

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      Charlotte Hornets’ Miles Bridges Pleads No Contest in Domestic Violence Case

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      Bridges, who played for the Charlotte Hornets last season, was accused of assaulting his girlfriend in front of their two children in June.Miles Bridges, who played for the Charlotte Hornets last season, pleaded no contest to one felony domestic violence charge of injuring a child’s parent, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday. He will be placed on three years’ probation but will avoid jail time as part of a plea agreement.“We believe this resolution was the best avenue to hold Mr. Bridges accountable for his conduct,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. “We also understand through the victim’s representatives that the victim wanted an expedited resolution of the case. The victim and her representatives were consulted about the proposed resolution and agreed with the outcome of the case.”A lawyer for Bridges did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The charge stemmed from an incident in late June, when Bridges, 24, was accused of assaulting his girlfriend in front of their two children. Bridges was arrested on June 29 and released on $130,000 bond.Days after Bridges’s arrest, Mychelle Johnson, a former college basketball player who has two children with Bridges, posted multiple photos on Instagram displaying apparent bruising and other marks on her body. She did not mention Bridges, and the post was later deleted.Bridges faced multiple felony charges of domestic violence and child abuse, and prosecutors accused him of causing “great bodily injury on the domestic violence victim.” Prosecutors have not named the victims in the case.“Domestic violence creates physical, mental and emotional trauma that has a lasting impact on survivors,” George Gascón, the Los Angeles County district attorney, said in a statement in July. “Children who witness family violence are especially vulnerable and the impact on them is immeasurable. Mr. Bridges will be held accountable for his actions and our Bureau of Victim Services will support the survivors through this difficult process.”In addition to probation, Bridges was ordered to undergo a year of domestic violence counseling and, separately, parenting classes and to provide 100 hours of community service. The sentence also includes a 10-year restraining order for the domestic violence victim, weekly drug tests, and restitution for the victim that will be determined at a hearing in January, according to the district attorney’s office.Bridges had spent the past four years in the N.B.A. with the Hornets. His arrest came one day before the start of the free agency period, when he was projected to be signed to a maximum contract worth around $173 million, according to multiple news media reports. Bridges, currently unsigned, had been a restricted free agent, meaning the Hornets had the right to match other teams’ offers for Bridges. The Hornets gave Bridges a qualifying offer before his arrest, but he has not accepted it. It is not clear whether the team still plans to sign him; the Hornets did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Bridges’s contract status, but they released a statement.“We are aware of today’s developments regarding Miles Bridges’s legal situation,” the team said in a statement. “We will continue to gather information before determining any potential next steps. Until then, we will have no additional comments.”Under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, Commissioner Adam Silver is able to place a player on administrative leave while the league investigates domestic violence accusations. If the league determines that the domestic violence policy has been violated, the N.B.A. may “fine, suspend, or dismiss and disqualify” a player, according to the agreement.The N.B.A. did not immediately respond to a request for comment. More