As part of the National Football League's continuing efforts to crack down on players who violate the laws of the land, league officials have decided to suspend free agent linebacker Brandon Spikes for four games as a result of legal issues related to a recent hit-and-run automobile accident.
The hit-and run incident in question occurred on June 7 when Spikes was driving on Interstate 495 going Northbound in the Foxboro, Massachusetts area.
While operating his luxury 2011 Mercedes-Benz Maybach sports car, he rear-ended a 2009 Nissan Murano that was being driven by Sam Lashgari. Other occupants in the victim's car included Lashgari’s wife Sheida Foroutani and a child.
All three people were taken to a local hospital where they were treated and released after sustaining various minor injuries.
Immediately after the incident, Spikes left the scene without notifying officials. His vehicle was later found abandoned after Spikes had called into his OnStar service to report he had hit a deer. When police officials located the car, there was no evidence that any type of animal has been struck.
After identifying Spikes as the owner of the Maybach, the Massachusetts state police found him and issued him a citation for a variety of violations, including leaving the scene of an injury accident, speeding, negligence while operating a motor vehicle and failure to stay within marked lanes.
On July 1, spikes appeared in Wrentham District Court where he pleaded guilty to all charges. In addition to having to pay $2,000 in fines and court fees, he was sentenced to a one-year probation period and loss of his driver's license for an unspecified period of time.
Originally, he was scheduled to appear back in court for a restitution hearing with the victims on September 9th. However, Marc Breakstone, attorney for the victims, reported the family did not incur any out of pocket expenses and had decided not to pursue the matter any further.
This was later confirmed by Spikes' attorney Christopher Belezos who also stated no out of court settlement had been negotiated between the parties.
Soon after the original incident, the walls started crumbling down around Spikes. As a result of his involvement in the incident, the New England Patriots gave him his unconditional release, making him a free agent. To date, no other teams have reported interest in signing the five-year veteran.
Spikes began his career when he was originally drafted in the second round by the Patriots out of the University of Florida where he played on two BCS National Championship teams (2007, 2009).
After a good start to his career in 2010, he was suspended for the last four games of his rookie season for a violation of the NFL's banned substances policy.
After a rather forgettable 2011 season, Spikes finished up the final two years of his contract by putting up some decent numbers that included 178 tackles.
When the team decided not to resign him in 2014, he signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. After yet another unspectacular season, the Bills passed on extending his contract.
On May 18, 2015, the Patriots decided to give him another look and Spikes was signed to a one-year deal that was later revoked as a result of the hit-and run incident.
It is anticipated that Spikes will serve his suspension for violating the NFL's conduct policy during the first four-games of the upcoming season. After that, it will be interesting to see if any teams are interested in adding the troubled veteran him to its roster at mid-season.
This article is courtesy of Tony Samboras. As a sports writer Tony is always interested in writing about what takes place on and off of the field. His writing contributions include several online sports websites primarily www.simplythebetsus.com.
