Yahoo Sports Jon Jones Issues Statement After Pleading Guilty to Hit and Run
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones pleaded guilty to a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident in a New Mexico court on Tuesday morning.
The judge accepted a plea deal the Jones’ team struck with the prosecution, sentencing him to 18 months of supervised probation and 72 speaking appearances with youth groups. As part of the plea deal, Jones was granted a conditional discharge, which means that if he meets all the terms the judge set for him, he will avoid having a felony go on his record, and he has no travel restrictions placed upon his personal work schedule. In other words, he can still fight.
RELATED > Former UFC Champ Jon Jones Pleads Guilty to Hit and Run
Following the hearing, Jones issued the following statement via his management team at EAG Sports Management:
“With regards to today's decision made by the court, I am very happy to now be able to put this incident behind me. My actions have caused pain and inconvenience in the lives of others and for that I am truly sorry and I accept full responsibility. I have been working hard during this time away from my sport to grow and mature as a man and to ensure that nothing like this happens again. I have learned a great deal from this situation and I am determined to emerge a better person because of it.
“I apologize to those who were affected by my actions in this incident and I am hopeful that I will be given the opportunity to redeem myself in the eyes of the public, my family and friends as well as my supporters. I am not sure what the future holds for me but I plan to continue to do the work needed to be productive and successful in every aspect of my life.”
Jones was stripped of his UFC belt following his involvement in a felony hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque on April 27, 2015, that left a pregnant motorist injured. He faced a felony charge of Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Bodily Harm or Death.
Jones ran a red light and smashed his rented SUV into a car, which, in turn, smashed into another car. The driver of the car he allegedly smashed into suffered a fractured arm and wrist. Jones then fled the scene on foot, reportedly without so much as checking to see if anyone was injured.
