Newly acquired Celtics forward Marcus Morris and his twin brother Markieff of the Washington Wizards face a criminal trial set to begin Aug. 21 for an assault charge in Arizona, according to a Sports Illustrated report.
Marcus Morris, 27, was traded by the Detroit Pistons to the Celtics for guard Avery Bradley on Friday.
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Here's more from the SI report from legal analyst Michael McCann, a University of New Hampshire Law School Associate Dean:
Unfortunately for the Celtics, Morris also comes with legal baggage: he has a pending criminal law matter that could lead to a prison sentence, NBA suspension or both.
Morris, along with his identical twin brother, Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris, are scheduled to go to trial on August 21 in Maricopa County, Arizona, to face felony charges. The two brothers each face two charges for aggravated assault—temporary disfigurement. Under Arizona law, a conviction on each of those charges carries a maximum prison sentence of 3.75 years and a presumptive sentence of 2.5 years. Since neither brother appears to have a criminal record beyond traffic offenses and, for Marcus, a misdemeanor battery citation while at Kansas, each would likely not face anywhere near the maximum sentence if convicted in Arizona. Still, they could face some time behind bars or at least a suspended sentence, probation and required community service.
Boston Celtics
The charges stem from a Jan. 24, 2015 incident when the Morris twins were playing for the Phoenix Suns. Erik Hood, 36, of Phoenix, alleges that the twins were part of a group that attacked him outside a Phoenix recreation area. According to the complaint, the 6-9 Marcus repeatedly stomped on Hood while he was on the ground and the 6-10 Markieff instructed bystanders “to mind your own business” and prevented them from coming to Hood’s aide.
In a police report, via The Washington Post, Hood, who described himself as a former mentor to the twins while in their hometown of Philadelphia, said before the attack that he had sent text messages to the mother of the twins. The Morris brothers perceived the messages to be romantic in nature and cut off a relationship with Hood.
Since the beating, Hood claims to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.