On Thursday morning, Michigan State center Derrick Nix pleaded guilty to a charge of impaired driving, a significantly reduced charge from the charge of operating a vehicle with the presence of drugs. The guilty plea was reported by mlive.com, which also notes that the charge for possession of marijuana was dropped outright. Nix was arrested on those charges nine days ago, and was suspended by MSU following it.
Nix will have sentencing on May 11, and the charge of impaired driving carries a maximum punishment of 93 days in jail and a $300 fine, on top of a driver's license suspension of 180 days. When Nix was arrested, Tom Izzo said that his future with the program was in serious jeopardy.
That being said, another report from mlive.com says that Nix will be reinstated, provided he meets all the conditions set forth by Izzo. On Thursday, Izzo reiterated that there will be punishment for Nix, whether it's something that's made public or not, and that he wants to be clear that this kind of thing is unacceptable. Nix also had a statement:
"I want to regain my trust with a lot of the players, coaches and family and refocus my whole life now and continue to finish out the rest of this year and become the leader that everybody was looking forward for me to be," Nix said.
Niz apologized to everyone he possibly can think of, and it was certainly an emotional one. As it stands, there's no word on whether or not Nix will miss any time next season as punishment. The report includes a quote from Izzo that says he does intend to "make life miserable" for Nix in the meantime.
For more on the Michigan State Spartans, go to The Only Colors. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Basketball hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Basketball.