Delonte West pleads guilty to weapons charges

2010-07-15 Off By John Krolik

Here’s the report, courtesy of the AP:

In Prince George’s County Circuit Court, Judge Graydon McKee sentenced West to eight months of electronic monitoring, two years of unsupervised probation, 40 hours of community service and psychological counseling.
Accompanied by his mother, girlfriend and uncle in court, West told Judge McKee he was ashamed.
He said he has been “put on a pedestal” because he can “dribble a basketball,” and worries about letting down youth who look up to athletes.
Authorities said the basketball player was carrying two loaded handguns, a loaded shotgun and an 8½-inch Bowie knife while speeding on a three-wheel motorcycle on the Capital Beltway last September. Police said West, who lives in Brandywine, Md., was pulled over after cutting off an officer.
West’s attorney said the player had the weapons because he was transporting them from one home to another that he owns in the county, after his mother ordered him to remove them from one property.

Glad that Delonte didn’t end up in jail. He’ll almost certainly be waived, and a possible suspension could make it harder for him to get a contract from another team. Delonte can really play, but I worry if the fallout from this will keep him from getting back to the level he was at during the 08-09 season. I hope it doesn’t, because he’s everything you want a basketball player to be when his head is in the right place and he has a franchise who supports him.

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