Draymond Green, forward for the Golden State Warriors and celebrated member of the NBA, was arrested in mid-July in East Lansing, Michigan for assault. However, he has since accepted a plea offer that will keep him out of jail but require that he pay fees and restitution instead.
Green is accused of slapping Michigan State University football player Jermaine Edmondson. Green, a former MSU All American and a current member of the U.S. Men’s Olympic Team, is said to have hit Edmondson after the two got into an argument outside Conrad’s Grill in East Lansing bar at about 2:30 in the morning.
The cause of the argument is in question
Witnesses say that Green and Edmondson were arguing several days before that in a different bar – Rick’s American Cafe, which is also located in East Lansing. Green is claimed to have told Edmondson that he pays for scholarships for people like Edmondson which allegedly angered Edmondson. Green claims that both he and his girlfriend were then choked by men who had been with Green at that time. Neither he, nor his girlfriend were later able to identify the men in question.
Two nights later, the argument resumed outside Conrad’s Grill where the pair argued and Green slapped Edmondson with an open hand. Officers who were nearby said they heard the slap. Green was arrested at the scene and taken to the East Lansing Jail, where he was tested and discovered to have a BAC of .10. This is higher than the legal driving limit in Michigan although he wasn’t driving at the time. According to Edmondson, however, it was not a slap, but a punch that he sustained in the altercation.
Green was later charged with misdemeanor Assault, also known as Simple Assault. Michigan law defines any attempt to cause physical injury to another person or placing a person in imminent fear of being assaulted as an assault. It is punishable by up to 93 days in jail and a fine of up to $500.
Green was recently offered a plea bargain, which he has accepted. In return for dropping the simple assault charge, Green will instead be charged with a noise violation. The agreement comes with no jail time which Green is surely glad of since he is currently training at the pre-Olympic training camp, along with the U.S. men’s national team, where they are preparing for the 2016 Olympic Games. He will have to pay a fine of $500 plus a jail restitution charge of $60.
In a statement released by Edmondson’s attorney, Edmonton claims that the incident “forever altered” his life. He has already requested a transfer from MSU but hasn’t announced where he intends to continue his studies. Green’s attorney has already stated that he expects a civil suit to follow.