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Miles Bridges pleads no contest to felony domestic violence charge

By Evan Birchmore

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 13: Miles Bridges #0 of the Charlotte Hornets reacts during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on April 13, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 13: Miles Bridges #0 of the Charlotte Hornets reacts during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on April 13, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /
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Charlotte Hornets restricted free agent forward Miles Bridges plead no contest to a felony domestic violence charge on Thursday morning in Los Angeles County, California.

The Legal Information Institute, a public service of Cornell Law School, defines a no contest plea as “a plea by a criminal defendant that they will not contest a charge. A no contest plea does not expressly admit guilt, but … authorizes the court to treat the criminal defendant as if they were guilty”.

Originally arrested on June 29th, Bridges had seen his case continued on numerous occasions and now faces punishment, although no jail time will be served.

The punishment that Bridges now faces is as follows:

  • Three years of probation
  • 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling
  • 52 weeks of parenting classes
  • 100 hours of community service
  • Weekly narcotics testing
  • Cannot own any guns, ammunition, or dangerous weapons
  • Restitution fine ($300)
  • Domestic violence fine ($500)
  • 10-year protective order, according to which Bridges must be 100 yards away from and have no contact with victim Mychelle Johnson

What does this mean for the Charlotte Hornets?

Bridges remains unsigned, and while the Hornets extended him an offer sheet prior to his arrest, this has since expired in the ensuing months as the legal proceedings unfolded.

Since Bridges pled no contest, he is subject to suspension according to the terms of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement. While every situation is different, the NBA ha unfortunately had to deal with these types of suspensions before. Some notable examples include the following:

  • In 2007, Ron Artest (now known as Metta Sandiford-Artest) was suspended for seven games after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge.
  • In 2016, Darren Collison received an eight-game suspension after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge
  • In 2014, Jeffery Taylor received a 24-game suspension after pleading guilty to domestic assault.
  • In 2017, Willie Reed was suspended for six games after being involved in a domestic violence incident with his wife.

It is important to note that Bridges was facing a felony charge, which is legally considered to be more serious than a misdemeanor charge.

Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak recently spoke on the matter, saying that the team would “huddle up with ownership and figure out what the next step is” after a resolution had been reached.

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