Former Breakers player Glen Rice Jr has been allowed to leave the country and return to the United States despite facing a serious violence charge.

The 29-year-old American was arrested last November and charged with assault with intent to injure after an incident at an Auckland bar.

Today, the nearly 2m-tall swingman was due to appear again in the Auckland District Court.

However, he was missing, with rumours circulating that Rice had left New Zealand some time ago.

Rice’s lawyer, Peter Tomlinson, confirmed the situation.

He asked Judge Emma Parsons to excuse his client’s attendance for today’s hearing.

So where was Rice? Texas, his lawyer said.

Tomlinson cited the global Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse for the basketballer’s absence and inability to return to New Zealand and face the charge.

The judge pardoned Rice’s absence from today’s hearing, but also noted the unusual situation of continuing his bail without forcing him to comply with its conditions.

Rice, who has played for the Washington Wizards and was a second-round pick in the 2013 NBA draft, had joined the Breakers just 10 days prior to the alleged assault as an injury replacement.

Just a couple of weeks after his arrest, however, Rice was in trouble again after allegedly breaching his bail conditions. It lead to the Breakers tearing up his contract.

During Rice’s first court appearance, Breakers owner Matt Walsh was sitting alongside him and told media afterwards that the club would let the matter “play out” through the justice system.

The case will be back in court again in August, when a date for a judge-alone trial is to be set. Judge Parsons has already excused Rice’s attendance for that hearing.

Rice, who is the son of former NBA star and champion Glen Rice, has earlier pleaded not guilty to the charge.

JR Smith of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts to a second half defensive play while playing the Indiana Pacers in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 25, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Myles Garrett caught some heat for his response to Sunday’s finale of “The Last Dance.”

The Cleveland Browns defensive end was impressed with the sportsmanship Karl Malone showed by congratulating Michael Jordan on the Chicago Bulls bus after losing in the 1998 NBA Finals.

Wait, what?

Sportsmanship commentary coming from a player who’s better known for swinging his helmet at Mason Rudolph’s head than his Pro Bowl prowess raised some eyebrows. But Garrett doesn’t care.

He rolled on with “The Last Dance” takes late Sunday, inviting his teammate and Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. into the mix while highlighting a clip of Malone and Dennis Rodman trading smacks on the butt.

Why you bringin’ up old stuff?

The tweet is a reference to January’s controversy that saw Beckham charged with battery for slapping a police officer on the butt while celebrating LSU’s national championship in New Orleans.

The officer involved eventually declined to pursue charges, leaving Beckham in the clear. But Garrett’s tweet prompted Beckham to quip back with a question on the minds of a lot of football fans in the aftermath of Garrett’s controversy.

How exactly did he escape criminal charges for hitting another man in the head with a blunt object?

The tweets appear to all be in good fun. As much fun as can be had around a discussion on assault charges.

And why not? These guys aren’t going to escape their respective controversies. They might as well own them.

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ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — New Mexico forward Carlton Bragg Jr. has been dismissed from the Lobos basketball team following his arrest on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.

Coach Paul Weir released a statement late Sunday, hours after Bragg’s arrest, saying the embattled player needed to focus on his personal well-being.

“The game of life is much more important than basketball right now,” Weir said. “I still believe in him and hope this next step will allow him to develop into a strong, responsible young adult while also completing his degree here at UNM.”

The arrest came nine days after Bragg, 24, was reinstated to the team following a three-game suspension while university officials investigated sexual misconduct allegations against him by another student. Bragg has not been charged in connection with that incident, which occurred in August, although the Bernalillo County district attorney’s office sent the case to the district attorney’s office in Alamogordo because of a conflict of interest.

Bragg, who was averaging 12.6 points and 10.3 rebounds in 15 games in his second season at New Mexico (15-3), was released from custody later Sunday.

He was detained around 1:20 a.m. in Albuquerque at a sobriety checkpoint, according to a police report.

Officers saw that Bragg “had bloodshot watery eyes and an odor of alcohol emanating from his facial area,” the report said. “Carlton admitted drinking 2 glasses of wine between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.” The Lobos had beaten Air Force only hours earlier.

Bragg was put through field sobriety testing and “signs of impairment were present during his performance of the sobriety tests,” after which he was arrested and a small amount of marijuana was discovered on his body, the report said.

Bragg later refused to take a breath-alcohol test, police said.

It was not known if he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

New Mexico is Bragg’s third school. He played at Kansas, where he was suspended after being arrested and charged with battery against a woman in 2016, although that charge was dropped and the woman who made the claims was later charged after prosecutors reviewed surveillance video.

He also attended Arizona State but was removed from the team in his first semester for violating an unspecified team rule.

Bragg had 11 points and seven rebounds Saturday night in the Lobos’ 84-78 victory.

Former NFL player Kellen Winslow Jr. pleaded guilty Monday to raping an unconscious teen in 2003 and to sexual battery involving a 54-year-old hitchhiker in a deal that spared him the possibility of life in prison.

Winslow initially hesitated and seemed to agonize over his decision.

He asked the judge for more time before he finally entered the guilty pleas moments before he was about to be retried on six felonies including kidnapping, sodomy, forced oral copulation and two charges of rape in San Diego County Superior Court that could have sent him to prison for life if he was convicted.

In exchange for his plea, the court agreed to sentence him to between 12 and 18 years in prison for the two charges and dismiss the others.

In June, the jury found him guilty of the attack last year on the homeless woman in his picturesque beach community of Encinitas. Jurors also convicted him of two misdemeanors — indecent exposure and a lewd act in public — involving two other women.

But after six days of deliberation, jurors said they were hopelessly deadlocked on the other criminal charges, including the alleged rape of the hitchhiker and the rape of the unconscious 17-year-old girl in 2003 when he was 19, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial.

The 36-year-old former tight end — at one point, one of the highest-paid in the NFL — initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, but on Monday, Winslow changed his plea to guilty of rape of an unconscious person and felony sexual battery and waived appeal rights for his previous convictions. The remaining charges were dismissed.

“Your honor, I would like to waive my right to a jury trial,” Winslow said.

At one point, Winslow could be heard saying, “I’m not thinking clearly.”

The judge then asked Winslow if he was sure, to which Winslow said he needed “a couple of minutes.” Eventually, Winslow accepted the plea deal.

Defense attorney Marc Carlos said Winslow made a difficult choice to accept the plea deal.

“The downside of any conviction would land him in prison for the rest of his life, and he made this decision based upon his family, his father, his children, and he wanted to be there for them in the future,” Carlos said.

Five women took the witness stand this summer, and three of them were expected to testify again before his change of plea.

“I’m satisfied that now Mr. Winslow’s been held accountable for his conduct involving five separate victims over the course of 15 years,” Deputy District Attorney Dan Owens said after Winslow’s change of plea Monday.

A judge said Winslow would face at least 12 years in prison as part of his plea deal.

“The victims are supportive of this kind of resolution,” Owens said.

Previously, Winslow faced a maximum sentence of life in prison, but Monday’s deal would lessen that maximum sentence to 18 years in prison.

“I pray to God for 12 years, so I can return to my family,” Winslow said.

Winslow will be sentenced on Feb. 19, 2020.

“In addition, he is going to be a mandatory lifetime sex offender registrant. That is a mandatory requirement for each of the charges for which he’s been convicted,” Owens said.

As part of his plea deal, Winslow could “face a possible commitment as a sexually violent predator to an indeterminate term for the rest of his life into a state hospital if he is found to meet that criteria,” Owens said.

That aspect of the plea deal will not be determined until Winslow is eligible for parole upon his potential release from state prison.

“He will not be automatically released into the community until he has been evaluated by two psychologists appointed by the state,” Owens added.

He may also face a life parole term, Owens told NBC 7.

By 2 p.m., the jury was dismissed from the San Diego County Superior Court.

Winslow, who played for Cleveland, Tampa Bay, New England and the New York Jets, earned more than $40 million over 10 seasons in the NFL. He is the son of Chargers Hall of Fame receiver Kellen Winslow, who was in the courtroom throughout the first trial.

The defendant did not testify at his first trial.

Winslow has been held in custody and will be sentenced for the rape conviction after the second trial.

This summer, jurors listened to several days of testimony from five different women who accused the former NFL player of sexual assault and indecent exposure from June 2003 to earlier this year.

Jane Doe 1 said she was raped when a man in an SUV stopped to pick her up as she was hitchhiking in Encinitas in March 2018.

Jane Doe 2 said a man in an SUV picked her up on Vulcan Avenue and raped along Manchester Avenue in May 2018.

Jane Doe 3 said a man exposed himself to her while she was gardening at a residence on Lake Drive in May 2018.

Jane Doe 4 said a man raped her while she was unconscious in a Scripps Ranch townhouse when she was 17 in June 2003.

Jane Doe 5 said a man exposed himself to her on two separate occasions at a Carlsbad gym and began masturbating in front of her in February 2019.

To see a full timeline of events and accusations, click here.

New Mexico Lobos forward Carlton Bragg Jr. was arrested early Sunday morning in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is facing charges of aggregated DWI and possession of marijuana, per a report from the Albuquerque Journal.

The arrest occurred at 1:35 a.m. MST, per the police report obtained by the Journal. Bragg was then booked shortly before 5 a.m. MST.

“The UNM Athletic Department has been notified that there was an incident regarding senior Carlton Bragg Jr. early this morning,” the school said in a statement supplied to the Journal on Sunday. “The department is aware of the situation is looking into it further. At this time, there will be no additional comments from anyone at UNM.”

This is not the first time that Bragg has recently encountered legal trouble. Bragg was suspended for three games earlier in the season after it was revealed that Bragg was under investigation for attempted rape. According to a police report, a woman had gone to the Family Advocacy Center to report the incident in November. She said that after a night of drinking in August, Bragg tried multiple times to forcefully unbutton her pants without her consent, per KOB Channel 4 in Albuquerque.

Bragg told police that nothing inappropriate happened. He has not been charged with a crime and the team reinstated him on Jan. 3.

Bragg began his collegiate career at Kansas, where he also encountered trouble with the law. Bragg was suspended from the Jayhawks in 2016 after he was arrested and charged with battery against a woman. That charge, however, was dropped, and the woman who alleged the battery was later charged with a crime after prosecutors reviewed video surveillance of the incident.

Following his sophomore season, Bragg transferred to Arizona State, but he lasted less than a semester before being kicked off the team due to an unspecified violation before heading to New Mexico.

Bragg is averaging 12.6 points per game on 53.7 percent shooting from the field to go along with 10.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game this season for the Lobos. He is shooting 81.1 percent from the free-throw line. Last season in his first year with the Lobos, he averaged 10.5 points per game on 49.7 percent shooting with 8.8 rebounds.

“Carlton is obviously our biggest player, shot block, he’s our best rebounder,” Lobos coach Paul Weir said. “When you lose someone of that profile, it changes your team.”