After disturbing new allegations, Hornets must cut ties with Miles Bridges | Opinion
When the Charlotte Hornets welcomed Miles Bridges back to the team earlier this year, it was clear that it was because they believed in second chances.
In a statement shortly after Bridges signed a contract in July, the Hornets said Bridges had shown remorse for his felony domestic violence conviction and “indicated that he has learned from this situation and expressed that it will not happen again.”
It was a second chance that Bridges was extremely fortunate to have received. It appears now that he might have blown it.
Bridges is facing a new criminal summons that includes charges of misdemeanor child abuse, injury to personal property and a domestic protective order violation. The charges stem from an incident that reportedly happened during a recent custody exchange with the mother of his children, according to court records. The woman alleges that Bridges threw pool table balls at her vehicle while the children were in the car and allowed his current girlfriend to scream and kick the car. Bridges also allegedly threatened the woman by saying that if she told the police he would “take everything from her and withhold child support.” Such behavior would violate a protective order issued by a California judge in May, according to the summons.
That’s not all, either. Police also have an unserved arrest warrant for a violation of a domestic violence protective order back in January, though that warrant has not been made public and it’s unclear why it has not yet been served, The Charlotte Observer reported. That warrant concerns a different incident than the one described in Wednesday’s criminal summons.
The Hornets said they are “aware of the reports and are in the process of gathering more information,” according to the Observer.
Bridges is still serving a suspension for the original domestic violence charges and isn’t even eligible to play yet. The Hornets shouldn’t let him see the court at all. They cannot defend Bridges — or themselves — anymore going forward. They cannot sell Bridges jerseys in the fan shop as if he is a figure that kids can look up to. They cannot claim to value their female fans while an alleged abuser sits atop the roster. The only way to make it clear they do not tolerate this behavior is to cut ties with him immediately.
If the allegations are true, keeping Bridges around wouldn’t just be morally wrong. It would be ill-advised. The fact that Bridges could barely make it three months as a Hornet before making headlines again is a red flag. It shows a lack of judgment and control, and it’s disrespectful to a team that evidently believed in him enough to risk bringing him back. Bridges clearly can’t be trusted, and any promises that “it won’t happen again” don’t mean a whole lot anymore. He’s a liability and a distraction, and any business owner in any industry likely wouldn’t keep an employee like that around.
Besides, the Hornets just waived former first-round draft pick Kai Jones on Wednesday following some erratic behavior on social media. It takes some serious moral gymnastics to justify cutting Jones — who was pretty clearly experiencing some personal issues — but keeping Bridges.
It’s only been three months since Bridges very publicly asked Hornets fans and the city of Charlotte for a chance to regain their trust. But any conversation about second chances is now over.
“People think I don’t deserve a second chance and I understand that,” Bridges said at a press conference in July. “So that’s why I’m going to try to use this year to prove to everybody just the person I am. Who is Miles Bridges? And it’s not what people think he is, you know?”
Yes, we do seem to be learning the kind of person that Miles Bridges might be. He’s not someone who deserves the privilege of playing basketball for the Charlotte Hornets any longer.
