MIAMI (June 1, 2006) -- Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor reached an agreement with prosecutors allowing him to plead no contest to a misdemeanor in the assault case against him, avoiding any jail time and the possibility of missing any of the upcoming NFL season.
The deal calls for Taylor to be placed on 18 months' probation, give speeches about the importance of staying in school at 10 Miami-Dade County schools and make contributions of $1,000 for scholarships to each of those schools, according to attorneys familiar with the case. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been finalize. A hearing was scheduled for June 1.
Taylor, 23, had faced a maximum of 46 years in prison if convicted on three aggravated assault charges and one misdemeanor charge stemming from a confrontation last June with a group of people in a dispute over all-terrain vehicles that Taylor owns. The trial was scheduled to start July 10.
Under the plea deal, Taylor is pleading no contest only to the misdemeanor battery charge. If he doesn't violate probation, even that charge would be eliminated from his record, the attorneys said.
The agreement came after the original prosecutor on the case, Michael Grieco, resigned in April after Taylor's lawyers claimed he was using the notoriety to promote his moonlighting business as a nightclub disc jockey. Grieco had posted links to news articles about the case on a personal Internet site.
Taylor's lawyers had repeatedly questioned whether the charges were warranted and whether the victims and witnesses in the case -- many of whom have criminal records -- were reliable.
Taylor, a former University of Miami standout, signed a seven-year, $18 million contract with the Redskins after he was drafted in 2004. He has six interceptions and 120 tackles in two NFL seasons, but has become almost as well-known for his troubles.
Taylor has been fined seven times during his professional career for late hits and other infractions, including a $17,000 penalty for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman during a January playoff game. He was also fined $25,000 for skipping a mandatory rookie symposium.
