The felony charge on which Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett has been indicted means that, absent a dismissal of the case or a plea deal, Bennett will stand trial. Not surprisingly, Bennett’s lawyer says that, if there’s a trial, Bennett won’t be admitting to anything.
“The only two possible outcomes for this case is the DA’s office [saying] they don’t have a case and dismissing, or a trial -- one or the other,” Rusty Hardin said, via ESPN.com. “If and whenever they ask for a plea, it will be not guilty.”
Of course it will be not guilty. There are two options when it’s time to enter a plea, as Vincent LaGuardia Gambini learned the hard way. If Bennett claims he didn’t do it, he’ll plead not guilty.
Bennett’s next court appearance comes on April 23. Hardin doesn’t anticipate an arraignment at that time.
The former Seahawk, traded to Philadelphia earlier this month, faces up to 10 years in prison for intentionally and knowingly causing bodily injury to a person 65 years or older. Bennett allegedly shoved an elderly woman while trying to get to the field after Super Bowl LI in Houston. She claims to have suffered a shoulder injury.
Both the Seahawks and Eagles contend they didn’t know about the situation before last Friday, when the indictment occurred. It’s unclear whether Bennett knew he was facing this type of scrutiny before being indicted; if so, he may have separately violated the Personal Conduct Policy by failing to disclose the situation to the Seahawks or the NFL sooner.