Jay Mariotti pleaded no contest to one count of misdemeanor domestic violence on Thursday as part of a plea deal with the Los Angeles city attorney’s office.
Los Angeles County Court Commissioner John Green dismissed Mariotti’s other six misdemeanor charges and he will be placed on three years probation and required to perform 40 days of community labor, according to Frank Mateljian, a spokesman for the Los Angeles city attorney’s office.
Along with probation and community labor, Mariotti must complete a 52-week domestic violence course and is ordered to stay away from the victim.
“Jay is very pleased to have this matter behind him and is anxious to get back to work,” said Mariotti’s attorney Nick Hanna. “While we are confident he would have prevailed at trial, the process would have been long and expensive. Today’s resolution — a no contest plea to a low-level misdemeanor with all of the other charges dismissed — ends the matter once and for all.”
Anxious to get back to work, eh?
ESPN and Aol would be taking a huge gamble by bringing back Mariotti, who has made a career chastising the mistakes of athletes.
He’s been absent from Around the Horn and from Fanhouse.com since his arrest on Aug. 21.
And it should continue to be that way.