NBA’s Draymond Green Takes Plea Before 2016 Rio Olympics

EAST LANSING, MI — NBA basketball star forward and 2016 Rio Olympics Team USA member Draymond Green, who is accused of slapping a Michigan State University football player, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge that will allow him to avoid jail time, officials said Friday.

The plea deal, reduces the charge against the Golden State Warriors star forward and former Michigan State All-American from misdemeanor assault to a noise violation, a civil infraction. Green must pay a $500 fine and $60 restitution fee, but he doesn’t have to plead not guilty, guilty or no contest because it is not a criminal charge.

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On Thursday, Green appeared via FaceTime for a court proceeding in East Lansing. It was expected that the charge against Green wouldn’t be pursued until after the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which will be held Aug. 6 to Aug. 21.

Green’s attorney, James Heos, told the Detroit Free Press that Green would have fought the charge in a jury trial, but his work schedule got in the way. Team USA has a tight schedule of exhibition games and practices before the Olympics start.

If he hadn’t accepted the deal, he would have had to have made two court appearances, for jury selection and the trial, Heos said.

Green was arrested in East Lansing on July 10 after a police officer saw him slap Jermaine Green, a member of Michigan State’s Spartan football team. Green can’t contact Edmonson for a year under the deal, and if he is convicted of a new criminal charge during that year, the assault charge will be reinstated, said David Meyers, an assistant city prosecutor for East Lansing.

Meyers said Green didn’t get special treatment because of his celebrity status.

“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,” he said. “We simply treated Mr. Green no differently than any other defendant that we prosecute.”

Image: Keith Allison via Flickr / Creative Commons