Back on March 12, Detroit Lions running back Mikel Leshoure was arrested after being caught on the highway with marijuana, which he was cramming into his mouth to try and hide from the police. It was his second such charge in two months.
On Friday, it was reported that Mikel pleaded guilty to a plea bargained charge and managed to knock down the sentence to only a $575 fine, which he paid, and no jail time. Part of the plea bargain came from the fact that the NFL's policies will likely come down hard on Leshoure, which was pleaded to the judge by Leshoure's lawyer:
Leshoure's sentence was $575 in fines and costs, with no jail time. His lawyer, Joseph Lavigne of Farmington Hills, told Judge Shelton Schrock that Leshoure faced "collateral consequences" with the National Football League as a result of the criminal case.
Schrock agreed that the NFL's testing program was more stringent than would what be ordered by the court. Lavigne said that Leshoure is in a 24-month program that initially requires him to be test two or three times a week for drug use.
Leshoure told the judge that he had made a mistake. "I want to move on and put this in my past," he said.
Hopefully he's not lying and he can get back to work with the Lions. He could, of course, still be facing tough discipline from the NFL after two charges in a row.
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