Washington Post: Wizards' Javaris Crittenton charged with gun counts
Via Washington Post (guess they found his gun):
"Crittenton was charged Monday with unlawful possession of a firearm, which is a felony and attempting to carry a pistol without a license, a misdemeanor.
Sources say Crittenton is working on a plea agreement to drop the felony and plead to the misdemeanor."
UPDATE: Javaris Crittenton's lawyer released the following statement:
There has been a great deal of misinformation published about this event and about Javaris Crittenton. Mr. Crittenton brought a lawfully owned, unloaded handgun into Washington, DC only because he legitimately feared for his life. The government's proffer of facts to be filed today acknowledges that his handgun was not loaded and that he never threatened anyone with it. The gun was legally purchased, but bringing it into the District, even for self defense, violated the city's strict gun control laws. Mr. Crittenton, who was 21 years old at the time of this incident, has never before been arrested or charged with any crime, and with today's misdemeanor plea to possession of an unregistered firearm, accepts responsibility for his conduct. He looks forward to explaining his actions to the NBA and returning to the basketball court as soon as possible.
UPDATE: Wow, this moved fast. Apparently, Crittenton's already been sentenced to one year probation and a $1,250 fine. As Michael Lee points out, that's roughly what Gil owed him anyway for the gambling debt.
UPDATE: I'm with Michael Lee, the Proffer of Facts is worded really strangely. Here's what it says:
There is no evidence that Crittenton ever chambered a round...raised or pointed the firearm.
Not, "It's not true," but rather "there is no evidence." Then again, this could just be legal-speak, so don't hold me to it.
In other news, per Lee's Twitter, a) Crittenton did turn in his gun, though it's unclear when, and b) according to the Proffer, when Crittenton took out his gun, Arenas said "You're going to need more than that little gun."
UPDATE: Wizards' statement:
"The charges filed today against Javaris Crittenton and his subsequent plea represent another disappointing development in what has already been a long and frustrating process for the team, the NBA and, most importantly, our fans. Javaris clearly used very bad judgment in this situation and will now face the consequences of his actions."
UPDATE: In case you thought David Stern would let Arenas off easier because of Crittenton's plea, think again, says Ken Berger of CBS Sportsline. All signs seem to be pointing toward a season-long suspension for both, though it's interesting that Berger brings up the Delonte West situation as a potential mitigating factor for Arenas.
Also, according to Berger, the three Wizards in the locker room at the time were Mike Miller, Randy Foye and DeShawn Stevenson.
about 2 years ago
Kyle Weidie
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Comments
Wait ... so he legitimately feared for his life
Yet the gun was unloaded?
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Mike Prada on Jan 25, 2010 2:01 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
heh, that was my first thought
USE THE SOFTWARE. Actions-> Rec/Flag. Reply to comments with the reply button. Rec good fanposts/fanshots so the crud gets pushed down.
by your friendly BullsBlogger on Jan 25, 2010 2:30 PM EST up reply actions
Didn't Arenas cover for Crittenton as long as possible?
And now Crittenton comes out and puts the worst possible spin on the situation, saying that he feared for his life. That is pathetic.
so wait arenas…
didnt pay his gambling debt AND THEN
threatened to burn his car AND THEN
escalated this whole deal by bringing the guns out AND THEN
made a mockery out of the whole ordeal.
But for some reason JC is the one who is pathetic?? Whats truly pathetic is how some wizards fan continue to grasp at this “Gilbert is just misunderstood/persecuted” nonsense.
VOID!!!
well i dont really care what happened.
i just want to see him play for the wizards.
but i know i am in the minority on this one.
You?? Minority??
take a look at this thread and the rest of the discussions on this blog… I sometimes feel like I am the only one who wants him gone/voided
VOID!!!
Maybe you both should stop thinking like you're on this crusade
Airjordan, you’re not the only one who has empathy for Gil, and dt3, you’re not the only one who wants him gone. Stop trying to draw battle lines on the extremes and try to listen to each other, please.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Mike Prada on Jan 25, 2010 2:51 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Wait...
The guy who supposedly loaded a gun and was the only one to use the gun in a menacing way… Is getting off with a misdemeanor? What bullshit is this?
but seriously feared for his life
what does that mean?
from arenas? or someone else.
i think the implication is that it was arenas…
Also, if he sung when chambering his round, then how could he really be scared?
Maybe the singing thing is wrong after all.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
We Don't Know For a Fact That He Was Singing
Don’t believe everything we’ve heard so far as gospel. Remember when everyone thought that Critt never picked up a gun, that he never loaded it? Maybe that version is still true. Nobody here can answer definitively one way or another.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
Right, that's what I'm saying
It’s possible it’s wrong.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
so what do we learn from this whole saga
that if you cover your tracks like crittendon, and dispose of the gun, you get to plea to a misdemeanor.
if you are arenas, and essentially turn them in, you end up a convicted felon.
well i guess i take that back a little
arenas did have the prior gun misdemeanor – thats probably what swung it for him
essentially turn them in?? Someone please correct me if I wrong (Ive seen episodes of LOST that were less convoluted than this whole ordeal) but Gilbert tried to dispose of the guns by hiding them in a bag/luggage and having another player bring them down to the garage (not knowing the contents). When that player couldnt get in his car the bag was left for anyone to take and was later found/claimed by team security.
In what language does that count as “essentially turning them in”??
VOID!!!
on a separate note along this thread
who was the player who took them down to the garage…basically took an order from gil without asking why or what was in the bag?
had to be a young one – I suspect Nick Young? who else? McGuire?
You're Forgetting Something
If you have a good agent and a good lawyer, and you wisely listen to and obey everything they tell you when a crisis happens, you can get away with almost anything.
In other news, grass is green and the sun came up this morning.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
That if your name
Is not dragged through the media spin cycle, you get off better in the criminal justice system. The “jump-to-conclusions-and-judgement” media annoys me so much.
This is all Lawyer speak
Wasn’t Critt the one that said he was going to shoot Gil in his knee. Anyway when is the news of Gil’s suspension coming out? Its supposed to be this week right?
Arenas reportedly told Critt he would shoot him in the face first
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Supposedly
I dunno, I can’t tell what the context of both statements (Gil’s and Critt’s) were either way. Maybe they were joking, maybe they weren’t, I don’t know. Maybe it was a misunderstanding.
I’m not going to make too much either way from their verbal threats because I don’t have a very good understanding of the context.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
This reminds us that we don't know the facts
Maybe Arenas’s actions were worse than what we have come to believe. Maybe the Wizards’ organizations actions towards Arenas are entirely appropriate in light of his actions. Maybe. We just don’t know at this point.
by disgrunted on Jan 25, 2010 2:41 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Watching Gilbert these past couple of years
I’m inclined to believe his side of the story. I don’t think Crittenton actually feared for his life and this sounds like an excuse to protect himself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laydODN6xVk
He Probably Feared For His Life
In general, like the way many athletes did after Sean Taylor was murdered in his own home. After that, many athletes began packing as if they had bulls-eyes on their backs. To some extent, they all do.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
Right that's fine.
But I seriously doubt he felt threatened by Gilbert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laydODN6xVk
You are right to point out
that we assumed that when the attorney said that Crittendon “legitimately feared for his life,” he meant that he feared Gilbert. That might not be the case, though of course it could be. The word “legitimately” is interesting — that suggests there were real and reasonable grounds to fear for his life.
One thing is for sure
If Critt’s defense is that he legitimately feared for his life then this whole thing is going to get EVEN uglier.
Crit needs to go ahead
and sue Gil all ready if he supposedly " feared " for his life. Statements like this just fan the flame when we need this to die all ready.
The point is
everyone is going to tell the story that gets them the least punishment. I don’t think they care about fanning flames or what we (I assume you mean fans) need.
by MR on Jan 25, 2010 4:21 PM EST up reply actions
What ever happened to the video?
That’s the last time I ever listen to a word TMZ says. damn them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laydODN6xVk
Tales told by an idiots...
These guys have got a lot of fence mending to do before they can resume their careers….
I dunno, seems like he got off pretty easy to me
All he ended up with was a misdemeanor gun charge. If he can play, someone will take a chance on him.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Agreed
Unless he’s just on the edge of being good enough and he’s seen as framing/setting up his team mate. Guys might not want a guy like that in their locker room if he’s just a third string PG without a jumpshot.
by MR on Jan 25, 2010 4:22 PM EST up reply actions
Right
I initially thought he’d get run out of the league for this, but now, if he doesn’t play any more, it’s more because he can’t play, not as much because of the misdemeanor charge (though it’ll obviously play some role).
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
that's the thing
If he can play
Personally, I think he can. But he hasn’t had the extended opportunity to prove it. And now, forget about the “verdict”, I’m sure other teams are gonna think of him as a problem. So, the question becomes, do you really want to bring in a “problem player” who’s been on 3 teams and has yet to catch on in the league?
Another question, is he still eligible for the D League? I don’t know how they operate.
No, he's not eligible for the D-League
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Welcome to Yurp Mr Critt
perfect starting point guard for any of a large number of European teams
depends where in Yurp
if one of the wealthy greek or russian owners wants him, no problem!
Crittendon "feared for his life" ...
so he brought an unloaded handgun into the locker room? sounds like a fishy explanation to me.
A gun is a "weapon", whether it's loaded or not
It can be used to bash someone over the head ….
Not nearly as effective as brass knuckles, or a baseball bat… but they do have some heft to them… and can cause blunt force trauma…
I’m sure that Critt thought if he “brandished” the gun, that would be all it took to diffuse the tense, OK Corral style situation. I’m sure JaVaris felt more “in control” and less fearful with his own weapon – and that Arenas, seeing that Crittenton had a gun, and was willing to use it, would just simply back off and pay him the $2 dollars he owed him…. What Crittenton didn’t realize is that Arenas had FOUR guns, one for each extremity….and was now FOUR TIMES more confident and four times less fearful than Critt….
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
Well well
I certainly hope that Stern is as quick and resolute on the Crittenton suspension as he was on Arenas.
Guns in the Locker Room…. Against the League Rules = Indefinite Suspension (already 18 days, and counting)
That precedent has already been set.
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
We didn't know that the three players in the locker room FLED
“..One source told CBSSports.com that the players present – Randy Foye, Mike Miller, and DeShawn Stevenson – ran out of the locker room when the guns came out. As you might imagine, nobody in his right mind is going to stick around to find out if the guns are loaded. Even under some aspects of the D.C. criminal code, brandishing an unloaded gun carries the same penalty as brandishing a loaded one because potential victims have no way of telling the difference..”
Scary stuff. That’s no joke.
The only factor in Arenas’ favor, in my opinion, is the suspension that is pending for the Cavaliers’ Delonte West, who was pulled over in Maryland last year carrying a loaded arsenal. If Arenas gets 50 games, what does West get? A hundred?
Bravo Mr. Berger, bravo!…
Indeed – If Arenas and Crittenton get 50 games – then Delonte West deserves a more severe penalty …..
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
It will all depend
on where Bron-Bron is playing next year. If he and West are still teammates expect a lower than normal fine/suspension.


















