Draymond's plea deal on assault charge: $560 in fines, no jail time
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has reached an agreement that will allow him to avoid jail time stemming from his arrest earlier this month.
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Green was arrested on July 10 on misdemeanor assault and battery charges for allegedly slapping then-Michigan State University football player Jermaine Edmondson during an altercation outside a bar in East Lansing, Mich. (Green starred on the Michigan State basketball team for four years before entering the 2012 NBA draft; Edmonson transferred from MSU on July 13.) Per the terms of the deal, the charge will be reduced; Green will instead be penalized for “a noise violation,” a civil infraction that carries a $500 fine and a $60 restitution fee, according to Christopher Haxel of the Lansing State Journal:
Assistant city prosecutor David Meyers said the deal involves neither a guilty nor a no contest plea, since the infraction is not a criminal charge. […]
Green is forbidden from contact with Edmondson for one year as part of the plea deal. If he contacts Edmondson within that time frame or is convicted of a new criminal charge within one year, Meyers said, the original charge would be reinstated.
“The plea agreement reached with Mr. Green is in accordance with our normal plea bargain procedures and guidelines for a case with similar circumstances, evidence and witness statements,” Meyers said. “We simply treated Mr. Green no differently than any other defendant that we prosecute.”
The speedy resolution of his case means that Green will be free and clear to continue training with the U.S. men’s national basketball team, and to travel with Team USA to Brazil to compete for a gold medal at next month’s 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“My attorneys are handling everything, and leave it in their hands,” Green said last week. “I got an opportunity to compete for a gold medal. You don’t let any type of distraction get in the way of that. This is not about me. It’s not about anyone on this team. It’s about going out and defending our country the right way. Everything else is kind of secondary to that.”
When Team USA convened to begin its workouts in Las Vegas, Green — no stranger to on-court controversy during the recent NBA playoffs — apologized to his teammates for the incident in East Lansing.
“I’m not worried, because every time Draymond is in a situation, he learns from it,” said Klay Thompson, Green’s teammate on both the Warriors and Team USA, on Monday. “He owned up to it and said he didn’t represent the USA team well and he’s not going to do it again. And he’s a man of his word so whenever he speaks, we believe him.”
A two-time All-Defensive First Team selection and Defensive Player of the Year runner-up who also finished seventh in the NBA in assists this season, Green is expected to play a major role on both ends of the floor as both a power forward and a center for the heavily favored American side in Rio, according to Taylor Bern of USAB.com:
“Draymond brings us as versatile a player and as outstanding a player as you can have,” [Team USA coach Mike] Krzyzewski said. “He — not just what he does physically, but in how he leads, his emotion — he brings the intangibles and the tangibles. And so, the versatility, you can play him at a number of different spots.” […]
“It’s something that you don’t take for granted,” Green said. “You’re working hard your whole life for this and to have the opportunity is special.”
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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