When offensive lineman Rodney Austin was arrested earlier this year on assault charges, the Lions didn’t waste much time before releasing a player who played one game for them in 2013.
Austin’s agent Mark Magazu called the arrest a “non-issue” and said that he expected Austin to be cleared of the charges. A judge in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina disagreed with that assessment.
The Detroit Free Press reports that Austin has been found guilty of the assault charges -- one for assaulting a woman and one for assault on a child under 12, specifically an infant who was being held by Austin’s former girlfriend -- as well as charges of interference with an emergency communication and larceny. All of the charges are misdemeanors and, as followers of last year’s Greg Hardy case likely remember, Austin can appeal for a jury trial on the charges.
The Lions said at the time of Austin’s release that a return was possible if he was cleared of the charges, but that may be closed as a result of Tuesday’s ruling.
