Miles Bridges moved one step closer to continuing his NBA career on Thursday morning. The restricted free agent of the Charlotte Hornets pleaded no contest to a felony domestic violence charge that was levied against him. Bridges was present in court for the hearing.
As a result of his pleading no contest, Bridges is accepting whatever punishment is given to him but isn’t admitting to guilt formally. The charges stem from an incident in May in which Bridges was accused of assaulting his then-girlfriend in front of the two children that they have together.
When originally making his plea, Bridges said that he was not guilty. “An allegation of causing great bodily injury on the domestic violence victim,” was dismissed as part of the agreement to his pleading no contest to the count of injuring a child’s parent. The other two charges that were dismissed as well as part of the agreement were charges of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death.
As part of his three-year probation, Bridges has to undergo weekly narcotics testing, but marijuana could be allowed with a valid doctor’s prescription. In addition, Bridges will have to complete 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling and parenting classes along with 100 hours of community service. The ownership of any guns, ammunition or weapons is also prohibited under his probation.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Miles Bridges & Charlotte Hornets Updates
He has to pay two fines, one of $300 for restitution and another for $500, which is a domestic violence fine. A protective order ban of 10 years was also placed on Bridges, as he has to remain 100 yards away from the woman at all times and have no contact with her. Any exchange and visitation of the children also has to be done peacefully and through a third party.
“We believe this resolution was the best avenue to hold Mr. Bridges accountable for his conduct,” the Los Angeles County District Attorney’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.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Miles Bridges & Charlotte Hornets Updates
There was no statement from Bridges’ attorney as he declined to comment. While the legal system may be done with him, the NBA can still hand out its own punishment should a team sign him at any point. Under their Collective Bargaining Agreement, the league can discipline him in any way they see fit, whether it is a suspension, fine, dismissing or disqualifying him from the NBA.
The league and the Hornets are continuing to review and gather information to see what the next step would be. Bridges has played four seasons in the NBA with Charlotte, putting up career-high numbers during the 2021-22 campaign that was putting him in line for a max contract this past summer before legal troubles arose.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Miles Bridges & Charlotte Hornets Updates
Since the Hornets extended him a qualifying offer, they reserve the right to match any offer sheet that he may sign with another team. Given the talent that he possesses, it would not be shocking to see Bridges back in the NBA at some point in the future.
Legal information for this article was provided by ESPN.com.
