Antonio Brown pleaded no contest Friday to a felony burglary with battery charge and two lesser misdemeanor charges related to a January incident with a moving truck company outside his home in Hollywood, Florida.

Brown will face no jail time, though he will have two years of probation and 100 hours of community service as part of the plea. The free agent wide receiver will also have to undergo a mandatory psych evaluation and attend a 13-week anger management program as part of the plea. He was also ordered not to have contact with the victims in this case.

The no-contest plea means he’s accepting the punishment without formally admitting guilt in the case.

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His lawyer, Carson Hancock, says the case was a civil dispute that led to an overcharged criminal case. He had been working with Broward County prosecutors for an acceptable conclusion to this case, and it would have been settled earlier if not for the coronavirus pandemic slowing down court proceedings.

Hancock says adjudication was withheld in the case, meaning Brown will not have a felony record as a result of the plea.

“Antonio’s case resulted from a misunderstanding concerning the payment of costs for the moving of Antonio’s family from California to Florida,” Hancock said in a statement Friday.

Hancock says that after Brown paid the fee, the moving truck driver demanded an “extra time” fee, and while they were discussing that, Brown’s friends started unloading boxes from the van, including some that were not Brown’s goods. Hancock says they put them back but were still charged with burglary and battery. Hancock says that Brown decided to resolve the matter quickly rather than have it be a “protracted legal case.”

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Jeremy Fowler breaks down what Antonio Brown’s no-contest plea in his Florida case means for his future in the NFL.

Brown wants to return to the NFL in 2020, and he’s been working out with several NFL stars in South Florida this offseason in preparation for if/when a team calls him.

An NFL spokesman said Brown’s conduct remains under review and is still being investigated. He could still be subject to league discipline in the form of a fine or a suspension.

Brown, 31, will be allowed to travel around the country for work purposes, provided he checks in with his probation officer. He last played for the New England Patriots in September 2019, before he was accused of sexual and personal misconduct. The Patriots released him one week later, and he hasn’t been signed by a team since.

The seven-time Pro Bowler appeared to hint at a return Thursday with an Instagram post that read, “big 4x soon.”

Brown was accused of throwing a rock at the driver’s moving truck, then later forcing his way into the driver’s side of the main cabin of the truck and striking the driver after a disagreement over payment escalated outside of Brown’s home. The arrest warrant obtained by ESPN says Brown “physically pulled and grabbed” the victim, causing multiple abrasions and a ripped shirt.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

Robinson, from South Ockendon, Essex, admitted engaging in sexual activity with the teenager in Bradford in August 2018.

He also entered a guilty plea to making and distributing an indecent image of a child via Snapchat on the same date.

He denied a further charge of distributing an indecent photograph of a child in December 2017, and the court heard the prosecution will not proceed with this count.

The winger, who was sacked by Bradford for gross misconduct after he was charged by police in February, arrived at court wearing a black face mask, white trainers, a dark red coat and cropped, grey, checked trousers.

He was granted bail until his sentencing and was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register before he left court.

Judge Jonathan Rose said: “Dealing with you Robinson, you pleaded guilty to all matters save the last count. The prosecution will not seek to try you on that count.

“Your case is now adjourned to be sentenced.”

He continued: “You must not assume that the fact that I’m adjourning sentence and granting you bail is to mean that any particular sentence will be imposed upon you.

“All options will be open to the judge who deals with your case, and that will very much include the possibility of a prison sentence.”

A second defendant, Korrie Berman, 21, from Essex, pleaded not guilty to five charges of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a child.

He will go on trial on April 12 next year.

Bradford City declined to comment following today’s hearing. 

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A North Carolina man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the 2018 shooting death of a college student.

Jakier Austin entered the guilty plea Thursday morning in Forsyth County Superior Court, officials said. Austin was initially charged with first-degree murder in the death of Najee Ali Baker, a Winston-Salem State University football player. 

Baker was shot after a party that was held in January 2018 at Wake Forest University. 

Assistant District Attorney Belinda Foster said prosecutors were hampered in pursuing a first-degree murder conviction because none of the witnesses would cooperate. 

An Air Force Academy football player accused of cocaine use has pleaded guilty, according to the school.

Cadet Kyler Ehm was charged with four counts of cocaine use, a charge his lawyers denied in a preliminary hearing last fall. A Kansas native, Ehm played in 10 games as a defensive lineman for the Falcons, recording a single tackle.

This week he was sentenced to a forfeiture in pay of $700 a month for four months and two months of confinement. Additionally, he will have a federal drug conviction on his record, according to a Thursday press release from the academy. He faced a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Ehm was the third Falcons football player to face cocaine charges after a 2019 investigation. He was charged after other cadets accused the defensive lineman of using cocaine and at least one witness got a reduced sentence on their own drug charges.

The government’s star witness is former Falcons fullback Cole Fagan, who in September pleaded guilty to cocaine use and got a 15-day sentence at a court-martial where he faced a maximum prison term of five years.

Civilian defense attorney Ernesto Gapasin last fall argued that Ehm was a victim of testimony offered by witnesses desperate to give prosecutors damning information on others in exchange for plea deals.

“You wouldn’t find a single witness out there who would say Kyler Ehm is anything but a good-natured young man,” Gapasin said.

The argument didn’t sway authorities, who determined there was ample evidence for Ehm to head to trial this week.

Stay with gazette.com for more on this story.

Wellington Phoenix defender Tim Payne has pleaded guilty to drink-driving after a shirtless late-night joy ride in a golf cart in Sydney.

The All White football international issued his guilty plea to a mid-range drink-driving charge via email in the Manly Local Court on Wednesday, NSW Courts confirmed to Stuff, and will be sentenced on June 29.

Payne was charged after breaking the Phoenix’s 14-day Covid-19 quarantine by leaving the team’s base at the Sydney Academy of Sport at North Narrabeen to drive the golf cart on a public road in the early hours of March 24.

NSW Police said at the time Payne had undergone a roadside breath test and was taken to Mona Vale police station where he allegedly returned a 0.100 breath-alcohol reading.

READ MORE:
* Seven weeks on, Phoenix yet to announce decision on wayward footballers
* Phoenix star Tim Payne must face the music for his golf buggy brain fade
* Wellington Phoenix player Tim Payne ‘sorry’ after drink-drive charge for Sydney joy ride
* ‘Out of our control’: Coronavirus cloud hangs over All Whites’ Middle East matches

The Transport for NSW website says a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 to less than 0.15 carries a minimum disqualification of six months and maximum court-imposed fine of AU$2200 (NZ$2353) for a first offence.

A Manly Daily report stated police were alerted after motorists saw the golf cart on the road.

Payne returned to New Zealand with the Phoenix after the incident when the A-League was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

He was issued with a court notice to appear for plea or mention in Manly Local Court on June 10.

Payne sent an email, via his New Zealand solicitor, to the court, admitting his guilt.

A sentence can be imposed in Payne’s absence on June 29 if needed. The Phoenix squad is currently split between Wellington, Australia, England, and Mexico, but they are set to reassemble in Sydney later this month, as the A-League eyes a return to action in July.

A tearful Payne told Radio Sport on March 26 he was sorry for his actions, and apologised for embarrassing his club.

“I just want to say I am incredibly sorry and incredibly embarrassed for what I’ve done,” he said.

“I take full responsibility for my actions and for what unfolded on that night. I’ve let so many people down including my partner, my family, the club as a whole and individuals such as Uffie [coach Ufuk Talay], who has given me a chance this season.

“I’m incredibly embarrassed and so sorry that I’ve let so many people down.”

He added that he would take “full responsibility” for any legal sanctions in Australia and for any penalties imposed by the Phoenix and Football Federation Australia, who oversee the A-League.

The Phoenix said on March 26 that they were taking the matter seriously as they launched an investigation, but have provided no further update in the 12 weeks since. An FFA investigation is also underway.

Payne was on the books of English Premier League side Blackburn Rovers as a teenager, but has mostly played in New Zealand’s amateur national league for Auckland City and Eastern Suburbs, who he won the title with in 2019.

He signed a one-year professional deal with the Phoenix last July and extended his contract through to 2022 in January, after becoming a regular starter at right back in the absence of injured veteran Louis Fenton.

The Wellington Phoenix’s All Whites football defender Tim Payne has pleaded guilty to drink-driving after a shirtless late-night joy ride in a golf court during lockdown in Sydney.

Payne issued his guilty plea to a mid-range drink-driving charge, via email from New Zealand, in the Manly District Court on Wednesday, according to a report in the Manly Daily and Daily Telegraph.

The 26-year-old A-League fullback will be sentenced on June 29.

Payne was charged after breaking the Phoenix’s 14-day coronavirus lockdown by leaving the team’s base at the Sydney Academy of Sport at North Narrabeen to drive the golf cart on a public road.

READ MORE:
* Seven weeks on, Phoenix yet to announce decision on wayward footballers
* Phoenix star Tim Payne must face the music for his golf buggy brain fade
* Wellington Phoenix player Tim Payne ‘sorry’ after drink-drive charge for Sydney joy ride
* ‘Out of our control’: Coronavirus cloud hangs over All Whites’ Middle East matches

Payne – with Phoenix reserve goalkeeper Oliver Sail in the passenger seat – was stopped by police on Oxford Falls Rd, 4km from the team’s base, at 1.10am.

Reports at the time claimed Payne had a roadside breath test and was then taken to Mona Vale police station where he allegedly returned a 0.100 breath-alcohol reading.

According to the Transport for NSW website a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 to less than 0.15 and carries a minimum disqualification of six months and maximum court-imposed fine of $2200 for a first offence.

The Manly Daily report stated police were alerted after motorists saw the golf cart on the road.

Payne returned to New Zealand with the Phoenix after the incident when the A-League was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

He was issued with a court notice to appear for plea or mention in Manly Local Court on June 10.

Payne sent an email, via his New Zealand solicitor, to the court, admitting his guilt.

The Manly Daily report noted that a sentence can be imposed in Payne’s absence on June 29.

A tearful Payne told Radio Sport on March 26 he was sorry for his actions, and apologised for embarrassing his club.

“I just want to say I am incredibly sorry and incredibly embarrassed for what I’ve done,” he said.

“I take full responsibility for my actions and for what unfolded on that night. I’ve let so many people down including my partner, my family, the club as a whole and individuals such as Uffie [coach Ufuk Talay], who has given me a chance this season.

“I’m incredibly embarrassed and so sorry that I’ve let so many people down.

“It was the last day before we left to come home and myself and Oliver Sail took a golf cart for a ride in the early hours of the evening. Contrary to reports we weren’t arrested and the public did not intervene.”

Payne told Radio Sport he would take “full responsibility” for any legal sanctions in Australia and any penalties imposed by the Phoenix and Football Federation Australia, who run the A-League.

“It was definitely a mistake on my behalf. It’s just one of those things you wish you could take back. With anything you do in life, there’s got to be repercussions… I 100 per cent expect there to be repercussions for my actions.”

On the books of Blackburn Rovers as a teenager, Payne has worked hard to resurrect football career in recent seasons following spells with national league sides Auckland City and Eastern Suburbs.

The Aucklander was invited to trial with the Phoenix in pre-season and signed a one-year deal. He became a regular at right-back after stepping in to replace the injured Louis Fenton in round five.

Payne negotiated a two-year contract extension last January.

Indiana tight end Peyton Hendershot pleaded guilty to misdemeanor criminal trespass Tuesday in Monroe County Court.

Hendershot was facing three other misdemeanors in connection to a February dispute with an ex-girlfriend, including domestic battery, criminal conversion, and criminal mischief.

The latter three charges were dismissed as part of his plea agreement. Hendershot was sentenced to one year probation for the trespass offense, which is a Class A misdemeanor. He is also required to receive a mental health evaluation and participate in a batterers treatment program.

Hendershot’s sentence also includes one year in jail, but that sentence is suspended, with two days credit for time already served following his February arrest. He is responsible for $185 in court costs, as well.

Hendershot appeared Tuesday before judge Valeri Haughton, dressed in a blue suit. He had a surgical mask over his face, per court requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a rather brief and straightforward proceeding, Hendershot simply answered questions with “Yes, your honor” and “No, your honor.” When his attorney, Joshua Radicke, asked whether Hendershot was accepting the terms of his plea agreement, he said “Yes, sir.”

“How do you plead?” Haughton asked.

“I plead guilty, your honor,” Hendershot answered. 

According to Bloomington police, Hendershot entered the residence of the victim without permission on Feb. 22, accusing her of infidelity. He then reportedly took her cellphone from her to look at calls and texts. When she tried to retrieve the phone, Hendershot, according to police, “grabbed her by the neck and shoved her against the wall.” He then threw the cell phone into the kitchen, police said, breaking the screen.

Following his arrest, Hendershot was indefinitely suspended by IU’s football team but was reinstated in a “modified way” during the offseason program, as coach Tom Allen described it in late April. That included some team and position meetings.

The 6-foot-4, 255-pound tight end was still suspended during the Hoosiers’ four spring practices in March and did not participate.

Hendershot, a rising redshirt junior, had a breakout campaign on the field last season, earning third-team All-Big Ten recognition after setting program records for a tight end in receptions (52) and yards (622), along with four touchdowns.

Quinton Dunbar and DeAndre Baker have maintained their innocence in a wild story that ended up with each NFL cornerback being accused of armed robbery.

Dunbar, who was traded to the Seattle Seahawks this offseason, made it official.

Dunbar officially pleaded not guilty to four counts of armed robbery, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. The charges came from an alleged incident in which three men, including the two NFL players, were accused of robbing guests at an illegal dice game in Miramar, Florida.

While the NFL’s conduct policy accounts for instances in which a player avoids a conviction, pleading guilty practically ensures a suspension.

Quinton Dunbar, DeAndre Baker try to make amends with teams

The NFL will still investigate Dunbar and Baker, a 2019 first-round pick of the New York Giants, regardless of what happens in the court system.

Baker was accused of pulling out a gun at the dice game last week and telling Dunbar and a third unidentified man to rob the other guests. Dunbar’s bail was set at $100,000 and Baker’s was set at $200,000. They both made bond and were released.

There are messes for each player to clean up with their respective teams. Dunbar apologized to the Seahawks on an Instagram post for unnecessary distractions. The New York Post said Baker asked the Giants’ vice president of security that his apologies be relayed to teammates and general manager Dave Gettleman. He has been asked to stay away from virtual team meetings.

More

Baker, Dunbar face multiple charges

Whatever happens legally, the story will be far from over for the cornerbacks.

Their teams and the NFL will have their say when the legal system is done. Baker faces four charges of armed robbery with a firearm and four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm. Dunbar faces four charges of armed robbery.

Dunbar just joined the Seahawks this offseason after a trade with the Washington Redskins. His not guilty plea is just the first step of many.

More from Yahoo Sports:

Former Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith has pleaded not guilty to charges of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors, according to Duval County court records.

He has entered the plea in writing with his attorney and has a May 20 court date. If Smith is convicted, he will face up to 15 years in prison.

The former Jaguar was arrested and charged on April 29. Images published by Vic Micolucci of WJXT that afternoon showed that a SWAT team and undercover detectives had lined what appeared to be Smith’s house and served a search warrant.

According to ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, in the warrant it’s alleged that Smith had sex multiple times with a 17-year-old girl, both at his home and in his vehicle, last August and September.

Per the report, the survivor told Smith the day they first met she had recently turned 17.

In November, a heavy police presence was seen at Smith’s home, and a black Cadillac Escalade was towed away. Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office later revealed that a search warrant had been served at the home on Nov. 27, 2019, but no arrests were made. That investigation was ongoing, per Jacksonville’s First Coast News.

The arrest warrant on Smith also reportedly states that Smith offered the survivor $200 while driving her back to her car after their first alleged sexual encounter. Per the report, Smith told her not to tell anyone, fearing legal repercussions.