NBA suspends Miles Bridges for 30 games without pay after he pleaded no contest to domestic violence charges for beating his girlfriend in front of their children
Miles Bridges has been suspended for 30 games without pay by the NBA as a result of a domestic violence incident involving the mother of his children.
Bridges, who played for the Charlotte Hornets last season before becoming a free agent over the summer, pleaded no contest to a felony domestic violence charge for injuring then-girlfriend Mychelle Johnson in front of their two children in June 2022.
Following his arrest and plea, Bridges did not play the 2022-23 season, missing all 82 games. The league has therefore determined that 20 games of the suspension have been serve with the remaining ten to be served if he signs an NBA contract for next season.
The NBA conducted its own investigation, reviewing all available materials and interviewing the parties involved, as well as third-party witnesses.
The league also said that it had consulted with a group of domestic violence expert to provide it with guidance before deciding the outcome of the matter.
Bridges was accused by his then-girlfriend, Mychelle Johnson, of assaulting her in front of their two children in June. He was arrested and released on $130,000 bail in June.
Three felony charges were filed in July, to which Bridges originally pleaded not guilty.
The original charges filed in July were one felony count of injuring a child’s parent and two felony counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death.
In July the DA said the children were present for the alleged assault but did not specify the counts of child abuse.
Johnson shared photos of her injuries allegedly sustained in the attack days later, although she didn’t mention Bridges by name and subsequently deleted the social media post.
Bridges’ attorney and the DA’s office reached an agreement in November 2022, which Johnson approved of, according to ESPN.
The report adds that the agreement was that Bridges plead no contest to one count – California Penal Code Section 273.5(a), which covers domestic violence toward a spouse or other cohabitant – and that the other two counts be dismissed.
The 24-year-old Bridges avoided jail time as part of his plea agreement, but was sentenced to three years of probation.
During his three-year probation, Bridges, will have to undergo 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling and 52 weeks of parenting classes, serve 100 hours of community service, and undergo weekly narcotics testing with marijuana allowed only if there is a valid doctor’s prescription.
The embattled free agent filed a restraining order against Johnson just days after he pleaded no contest to the domestic violence charges.
According to a filing in Los Angeles County Court, obtained by DailyMail.com, in November, Johnson had been harassing him, despite an outstanding protective order barring him from having contact with his estranged wife.
Bridges accused Johnson of following him, stealing his dog, and showing up unannounced at an AirBNB where he was staying. The former Michigan State star requested that Johnson remain 100 yards away from him and refrain from having any contact with him or his dog.
Bridges claimed he moved three times attempting to avoid her.
‘Mychelle has contacted me via text on numerous occasions requesting money from me and informing me that she is on her way to see me with our children,’ read the filing. ‘Per the protective order, we are not to have any contact with each other whatsoever.
‘Mychelle’s repeated efforts to contact me, follow me, antagonize me, and linger outside of my home, is harassing and a disturbance to my peace. She is invading my privacy and interfering with the criminal protective order. Even worse, she is involving our children and using them as a tool to get attention from me.’
Included in the filing are pictures purportedly showing Johnson attempting to break into Bridges’ AirBNB and waiting for him in her vehicle.
The 12th pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, Bridges played four seasons with the Hornets, but is has remained on the free-agent market following Johnson’s allegations against him.
Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto reported in May that four league executives predicted that Bridges could get offered as much as $25 million annually, but that was obviously before his recent arrest.