The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office stated on Tuesday that free agent Miles Bridges will have his arraignment on felony charges of domestic violence and child abuse on Wednesday. Bridges is currently playing for the Charlotte Hornets. The 24-year-old Bridges is being charged with one count of injuring a child’s parent in addition to two counts of child abuse.
In a press statement issued by the office of the district attorney in late June, Bridges was accused of physically beating his fiancée in front of their two children. The incident allegedly took place. On June 29, Bridges was taken into custody and later freed on a bail of $130,000.
The press statement did not identify any of the people who had been hurt. Mychelle Johnson, a former college basketball player who has two children with Bridges, shared a series of images on Instagram a few days after Bridges was arrested. The photos seemed to depict bruises and other injuries over Johnson’s body. Bridges and Johnson have a kid together. In her post, she did not mention Bridges, and she has since removed that post.
According to the press release, Bridges is accused of inflicting “severe physical harm on the victim of domestic abuse.” Bridges is also accused of employing violent behaviour against the victim.
Bridges recently ended his fourth season in the NBA, all of which were spent with the Hornets. He is now a restricted free agency. The sports agency that represents Bridges, Klutch Sports Group, did not reply to a request for comment following the arrest and was unable to be contacted for quick comment on Tuesday. Bridges was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. In a statement, the Hornets referred to the allegations as “extremely serious,” but they refused to comment more on the situation, citing it as a “legal concern.” A spokeswoman for the National Basketball Association said that the league was “looking into the accusations.”
A conviction is not necessary for a breach of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) policy against domestic violence, as stated in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that the NBA has with its players’ union. The agreement provides the league with the authority to put a player on administrative leave while conducting an investigation into allegations of domestic abuse. In the event that a player violates the policy, the commissioner has the authority to “fine, suspend, or dismiss and disqualify” that player “from any subsequent involvement with the N.B.A.” This authority is contingent on the findings of the inquiry.
It has been said that Bridges has a bright future ahead of him. All of his career bests were set during the previous season when he averaged 20.2 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. His arrest took place one day before the beginning of free agency discussions and one day after the Hornets had given a qualifying offer to him, which gives the club the ability to match any other offers he gets in the future. According to several sources in the media, he was anticipated to demand a maximum deal for around 173 million dollars for a period of five years. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the team said that the qualifying offer had not been withdrawn from consideration.
