NFL
Charges against Lynch reduced
Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch appears to have dodged another legal bullet when the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office reduced his felony gun charge to three misdemeanors.
But that does not mean Lynch has escaped possible disciplinary action from the NFL.
Lynch will be arraigned April 2 on possession of a concealed, loaded and unregistered firearm. He and two other men were sitting in a running car when approached by Culver City Police. After smelling marijuana, the officers searched the vehicle and found a 9 mm pistol along with four marijuana cigarettes or blunts. There have been no charges filed on the marijuana.
The outcome of the gun charges could play a role in whether Lynch gets suspended for violating the league’s player conduct policy.
The NFL has declined comment, reiterating its previous position of allowing the legal process to run its course. But the league has updated its policy on how it deals with players who are either suspected or convicted of crimes, particularly multiple crimes within a short period of time.
This is Lynch’s second run-in with the law in 10 months. He was involved in a hit-and-run accident on Chippewa Street last May, but didn’t admit to it until nearly a month later. He pleaded to a lesser charge and paid a $100 fine.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has recently imposed suspensions on players because of their repeated arrests even though they had not been convicted of crimes.
Meanwhile, Lynch’s lawyer,
M. Gerald Schwartzbach, called the misdemeanor guns charges “a good sign” for his client. Schwartzbach believes a felony charge was never warranted.
“Obviously, I wished no charges were filed,” Schwartzbach said. “In terms of evaluating the merits of the charges I’m not in position to do that until I see the police report. But the fact that the charges were changed tells you something about the district attorney’s evaluation.”
Schwartzbach added that it is uncertain what penalties Lynch would receive if found guilty. Schwartzbach won’t speculate on how Lynch would plead until he sees the police report, which may not happen until the arraignment April 2.
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