Last week, with eight seconds left in overtime vs. the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges drained a 3-pointer, which would go on to be the game-winner. Few achieve this late-game heroism, and it’s often a talent reserved for a star player who is the face of an organization.
For Bridges, who is facing ongoing charges of domestic violence and felony counts of child abuse, this talent is the last thing on fans’ minds.
In June of 2022, Bridges was arrested after an alleged assault on Mychelle Johnson, his then-girlfriend and the mother of his two children, who were present during the incident. Bridges pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of child abuse and one count of causing harm to a parent of a child, a plea which he later changed to no contest.
Bridges received probation with no jail time, though he missed the entirety of the 2022-23 NBA season. The NBA announced a suspension of 30 games for the Hornets player, but clarified that he would only need to serve 10 of these games due to him missing last season.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that the NBA just wants Bridges, a decent enough player, in a Hornets uniform to boost the team in selling tickets and jerseys. Simply put, they’re a business being a business with no regard for the ethics of how they acquire capital.
Last month, Bridges was issued a criminal summons after allegedly throwing billiard balls at Johnson’s car, shattering the vehicle’s windshield with her and their children inside. He also allegedly threatened Johnson, stating that he would “take everything from her and withhold child support,” if she sought the police. Bridges served his 10 game absence from the NBA at the start of this season and is now regularly playing in games just like any other player.
This case is pretty clear cut, and I don’t think it’s too controversial to say that the lack of adequate disciplinary action from the league is cowardly and deplorable. But while many likely wouldn’t be opposed to stricter action from the NBA in this instance, Bridges’ actions bring up a larger discussion that plagues the NBA fanbase and the entire world of sports — is a league’s role to be the arbiter of justice and fairness, or to let athletes play ball and leave legal matters to the authorities?
This question is constantly under debate, and I think it’s necessary to look at each issue on a case-by-case basis. Something that I find particularly incoherent is the NBA’s standards for suspension. Multiple players, for example, have been suspended for the same number of games as Bridges for petty violations like marijuana use, such as Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders in 2015. It’s worth noting that the NBA removed the drug from its banned substances list this year, but this does not change the fact that previous suspensions for it have taken place.
Does the league think consuming marijuana is worth effectively the same suspension as multiple instances of abuse and endangering the lives of children? The NBA’s suspension policy, relating to violence in particular, is in desperate need of reform.
While this action is needed, I don’t think players should be expected to become cookie-cutter role models. Athletes are human beings who make mistakes, and it’s wrong to expect them to be saints. However, cases like that of Bridges are entirely indefensible, and it’s saddening to see such a soft stance on violence from the NBA with young generations of basketball fans watching and absorbing this information.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that the NBA just wants Bridges, a decent enough player, in a Hornets uniform to boost the team in selling tickets and jerseys. Simply put, they’re a business being a business with no regard for the ethics of how they acquire capital.
Bridges recently stated, “It’ll be a while before I gain their trust back. So I’m just gonna go out there and play. If I get us some more wins, peoples perspective will change.” I’m sure the NBA is hoping for the same, waiting in the wings for people to forget the issue as quickly as possible.
jlaforg2@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @NBA, X
