SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) -Former San Francisco 49ers receiver Antonio Bryant pleaded no contest to reckless driving and was sentenced to one year of probation for speeding on a California freeway at more than 100 mph in his orange Lamborghini, prosecutors said.
Bryant’s defense lawyer, Josh Bentley, entered the plea on Bryant’s behalf. A call to Bentley by The Associated Press was not immediately returned Friday.
Bryant also was fined $1,312, but prosecutors dropped a more serious charge of resisting arrest as part of the plea deal, said San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
Officers said that when they pulled Bryant over on Highway 101 in San Mateo, he showed signs of intoxication and was so combative they had to use leather restraints to hold him in the back of a squad car.
He was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving but refused to take a sobriety test, which led to an automatic one-year suspension of his license, Wagstaffe said. Prosecutors ultimately did not file DUI charges because of a lack of evidence.
Bryant was released from the 49ers in March, just one season after signing a lucrative four-year contract worth about $14 million. Though the team needed a topflight receiver, he repeatedly clashed with coach Mike Nolan and was suspended last season for four games for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.
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