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Pacers plead no contest
Topic Started: Sep 23 2005, 11:50 AM (40 Views)
Canucks fan
Numero uno
Admin
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2170044

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. -- Indiana Pacers players Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson pleaded no contest Friday to misdemeanor assault charges stemming from one of the worst brawls in U.S. sports history.

Oakland County prosecutors recommended community service, probation and fines for the three players, who appeared before District Court Judge Julie Nicholson.

They were expected to be sentenced later in the day. A no-contest plea in Michigan is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing purposes.

A fourth player, David Harrison, faces an Oct. 3 hearing. A fifth, Anthony Johnson, pleaded no contest last week to a count of misdemeanor assault and battery and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 7.

Prosecutors have recommended that Johnson perform community service and serve probation in that case, along with paying fines and court costs.

The charges stem from a Nov. 19 brawl during a game against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

All the players have been charged with misdemeanor assault and battery, which carries a maximum sentence of 93 days in jail and a $500 fine. But prosecutors have said community service makes more sense than jail time.

Several fans also were charged in the brawl that started after Pistons center Ben Wallace shoved Artest following a hard foul.

After the players were separated, Artest was doused with a beverage and rushed into the stands after the man he thought had thrown the drink. Some of his teammates joined him in the stands and clashed with fans on the court.

Artest was suspended for the rest of the season, Jackson for 30 games, O'Neal for 25 and Johnson for five as a result of the melee. The league did not suspend Harrison.

O'Neal's suspension was later reduced to 15 games by an arbitrator and upheld in federal court.




Good move. They're willing to accept what they get.
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