Ex-Hornets F Miles Bridges pleads no contest to felony domestic violence charge, receives no jail time
Former Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges pleaded no contest to a felony domestic violence charge in court on Thursday, according to ESPN's Baxter Holmes.
As part of a deal with prosecutors, Bridges will reportedly receive three years of probation with no jail time. The no contest plea means Bridges accepts his conviction and punishment without formally admitting guilt in the case.
The 24-year-old Bridges had previously pleaded not guilty to three felony charges in July, one count of injuring a child’s parent and two counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death. Per ESPN, the count he pleaded on ended up being domestic violence toward a spouse or other cohabitant, with the other two counts dismissed.
During his probation, Bridges will reportedly have to undergo 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling, 52 weeks of parenting classes, 100 hours of community service and weekly narcotics testing with marijuana forbidden without a doctor's prescription. He also cannot own a gun, ammo or any dangerous weapons and will have to pay a $300 restitution fee and $500 domestic violence fine.
Bridges, who remains an NBA free agent, will reportedly maintain custody of his two children with his wife Mychelle Johnson, the victim of his domestic violence, but she holds a 10-year protective order that requires he stays 100 yards away and has no contact with her.
The NBA still holds the right to suspend or fine Bridges if he signs with a team.
Miles Bridges was arrested on eve of NBA free agency
Bridges' plea is the legal resolution of a case that shocked the NBA, as he was arrested the night before he was set to hit free agency after four years with the Hornets.
Bridges was seemingly set up for a major payday after averaging a career-high 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game last season, but all potential offers were gone after his arrest. One day later, Johnson shared disturbing images of what Bridges had done to her on Instagram, while recalling what happened in graphic detail:
"I hate that it has come to this but I can’t be silent anymore. I’ve allowed someone to destroy my home, abuse me in every way possible and traumatize our kids for life. I have nothing to prove to the world, but I won’t allow anyone who could do something so horrible to have no remorse and paint a picture of something I’m not. I won’t allow the people around him to continue to silence me and continue to lie to protect this person. It’s unethical, it’s immoral, it’s truly SICK. It hurts my heart because I’ve always had hope, and so much love and as scary as this is for me to do it’s time I stand up for myself. I won’t be silent to protect others anymore because I value myself and my kids more than anyones ‘image’.… a fracture nose, wrist, torn eardrum, torn muscles in my neck from being choked until I went to sleep and a severe concussion. I don’t need sympathy, I just don’t want this happening to anyone else, I just want this person to get help, my kids deserve better. That’s all I want. It hurts, everything hurts, this situation hurts, most importantly I’m scared and hurting for my kids who were witness to everything. Please respect my families privacy and stop with the disgusting rumors and allegations."
The Instagram post, which has since been deleted, also included a video showing Bridges' and Johnson's son asking, "Did Daddy choke Mommy?"
