stevew
06-01-2006, 02:38 PM
MIAMI -- Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor has reached an agreement with prosecutors to drop felony charges against him and plead no contest to two misdemeanors in his assault case, avoiding jail time and the possibility of missing any of the upcoming NFL season.
The deal calls for Taylor to be placed on 18 months of probation, talk to students at 10 Miami-Dade County schools about staying in school and make contributions of $1,000 for scholarships to each of those schools, defense attorney Richard Sharpstein said Thursday. A hearing was scheduled for later in the day.
Taylor, 23, had faced a maximum of 46 years in prison if convicted on three aggravated assault charges and one misdemeanor charge stemming from a confrontation last June with a group of people in a dispute over all-terrain vehicles that Taylor owns. Trial had been scheduled to start July 10.
Under the plea deal, the aggravated assault charges will be dropped and Taylor will plead no contest to misdemeanor counts of simple battery and simple assault. If he does not violate probation, even those charges would be eliminated from his record.
"This is a fair and just resolution to this case that was blown out of proportion from the beginning," Sharpstein said. "It's a great outcome for Sean."
The agreement came after the original prosecutor on the case, Michael Grieco, resigned in April after Taylor's lawyers claimed he was using the notoriety to promote his moonlighting business as a nightclub disc jockey. Grieco had posted links to news articles about the case on a personal Internet site.
Taylor's lawyers had repeatedly questioned whether the charges were warranted and whether the victims and witnesses in the case -- many of whom have criminal records -- were reliable.
Taylor, a former University of Miami standout, signed a seven-year, $18 million contract with the Redskins after he was drafted in 2004. He has six interceptions and 120 tackles in two NFL seasons, but has become almost as well-known for his troubles.
Taylor has been fined seven times during his professional career for late hits and other infractions, including a $17,000 penalty for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman during a January playoff game. He was also fined $25,000 for skipping a mandatory rookie symposium.
So, what are the odds he can stay out of trouble when he's on probation? The need to get someone from Big Brothers/Big Sisters to watch this kid.
The deal calls for Taylor to be placed on 18 months of probation, talk to students at 10 Miami-Dade County schools about staying in school and make contributions of $1,000 for scholarships to each of those schools, defense attorney Richard Sharpstein said Thursday. A hearing was scheduled for later in the day.
Taylor, 23, had faced a maximum of 46 years in prison if convicted on three aggravated assault charges and one misdemeanor charge stemming from a confrontation last June with a group of people in a dispute over all-terrain vehicles that Taylor owns. Trial had been scheduled to start July 10.
Under the plea deal, the aggravated assault charges will be dropped and Taylor will plead no contest to misdemeanor counts of simple battery and simple assault. If he does not violate probation, even those charges would be eliminated from his record.
"This is a fair and just resolution to this case that was blown out of proportion from the beginning," Sharpstein said. "It's a great outcome for Sean."
The agreement came after the original prosecutor on the case, Michael Grieco, resigned in April after Taylor's lawyers claimed he was using the notoriety to promote his moonlighting business as a nightclub disc jockey. Grieco had posted links to news articles about the case on a personal Internet site.
Taylor's lawyers had repeatedly questioned whether the charges were warranted and whether the victims and witnesses in the case -- many of whom have criminal records -- were reliable.
Taylor, a former University of Miami standout, signed a seven-year, $18 million contract with the Redskins after he was drafted in 2004. He has six interceptions and 120 tackles in two NFL seasons, but has become almost as well-known for his troubles.
Taylor has been fined seven times during his professional career for late hits and other infractions, including a $17,000 penalty for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman during a January playoff game. He was also fined $25,000 for skipping a mandatory rookie symposium.
So, what are the odds he can stay out of trouble when he's on probation? The need to get someone from Big Brothers/Big Sisters to watch this kid.