Gilbert Arenas Pleads Guilty to Felony Gun Charge
January 15, 2010
Embattled, heat-packing NBA star Gilbert Arenas has entered a plea of guilty to one felony count of carrying an unlicensed firearm in the District of Columbia.
He has yet to be sentenced, and could still end up doing time for having the illegal gun. It is estimated that a low-end sentence would carry under six months.
Arenas’ plea came after an investigation into a locker room standoff he had with teammate Javaris Crittenton in December and became a huge sports scandal.
The Washington Wizards player has to turn in his passport and is no longer allowed to possess any firearms. An investigation into Crittenton remains open.
During court proceedings this afternoon, new details of the now-infamous locker room standoff, which must be read to be believed, have also been revealed.
It all went down December 19, when Arenas and Crittenton became “involved in a verbal exchange after a card game,” during which Arenas – who claims it was just a joke – and the teammate made “mutual threats to shoot one another.”
Two days later, Arenas – who had four guns at the Verizon Center – “placed them on the chair of a teammate with a note stating, reportedly in jest, “PICK 1.’”
When Javaris Crittenton arrived, Arenas reportedly stated, “You said you were going to shoot me, so I thought you would like some firepower. Pick One.”
Ken Wainstein, a lawyer for Arenas, said afterward that Gilbert “accepted full responsibility for his actions, acknowledged that those actions were wrong and against the law, and has apologized to all who have been affected by his conduct.”
He is due back in court on March 26.
Arenas is prohibited, as are all NBA players, from bringing firearms into the arena, and the team could be looking to void his $111 million contract as a result.
This felony conviction definitely gives them more ammo. Pun intended.
