Michael Bennett is having a good week.
First, the Patriots gave him that new contract he wanted. Now, Harris County, Texas, has dropped that felony charge for allegedly injuring a 66-year-old paraplegic woman on Feb. 5 after Super Bowl LI in Houston.
According to court records, the motion to dismiss the case stated: “Probable cause exists, but case cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt at this time.”
This end a year-long saga that began shortly after the Eagles acquired Bennett in a trade and ended after they traded him away. Bennett, now 33, played the entire 2018 season with this charge hanging over his head.
Vivian King, the chief of staff for Harris County DA Kim Ogg, said the following in a statement:
After looking at all the evidence and applying the law, a crime could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. There was probable cause to warrant a charge initially, but after a careful review of all the pre-charge and post-charge evidence, we cannot prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt.
This has seemed like a likely outcome from the jump, despite the harsh and grandstanding words of Houston police chief Art Acevedo when charges were announced. Despite enough hard evidence, Acevedo called Bennett “morally bankrupt” and seemed keen on making an example of a high-profile NFL player.
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Bennett’s high-profile attorney, Rusty Hardin, remained adamant about his client’s innocence, telling NBC Sports Philadelphia last year that Bennett “just didn’t do it.”
“We dismissed this case in the interest of justice,” King said. “After looking at all the evidence, this was the right thing to do.”
Arraignment dates were pushed back multiple times for different reasons over the last year. Now, the long saga is over.
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