By: Jordan G
New York Knicks starting Point Guard Raymond Felton was indicted and arrested after the Knicks lost to the Heat last Tuesday, February 25th. The Knicks are even more concerned about their season now, and the NBA is concerned with the image of its players. Felton is primarily concerned about his legal issues.
Felton was arrested at 12:50 am and left court shortly after that. He quickly posted the $25,000 bail. Felton’s estranged wife Ariane Raymondo-Felton turned Raymond’s weapon into the police. It was a FNH 5.7 x 28 mm semi-automatic handgun according to authorities. Ariane claimed she didn’t want the gun in their Upper West Side home.
Raymond and his wife Ariane have split up and are in the process of filing for divorce. The couple no longer communicates directly. Last Tuesday after Felton’s arrest Judge Diana Boyer issued a six month restraining order forbidding Felton from making any contact with his wife. Ariane claims that at times Felton would hold the gun in his hand when the couple would argue.
The gun Felton was in possession of was obtained legally, however. Felton purchased and licensed the weapon in North Carolina, but it had not been licensed in the state of New York. For this reason Felton will be facing felony weapons charges, including one count of criminal possession of a firearm, and one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. If the maximum sentence is sought out, Felton could face seven years in prison. It is also entirely possible that Felton could evade jail time altogether.
New York has extremely strict gun laws. Former NFL star Plaxico Burress found that out when he was convicted on charges of reckless endangerment and criminal possession. Burress ended up accepting a plea deal allowing him to only serve a two year sentence. Deron Williams, the guard for the Brooklyn Nets; is also a gun owner and commented on the situation. “I got my license to carry in like 26 states, but I’m not bringing my gun to New York City… I know better than that.”
The NBA also feels that it has a bit of an image problem. Dozens of its players have been in legal trouble over the years, and this trend seems to be on the rise. In an interview with the “Mike and Mike” show, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver commented that he felt Raymond Felton was a good guy but arrests like his add to the image problem the league already is known to have.
Felton has been on the court and played since his arrest. In his first game back he did not perform well. In fact he has underperformed all season, and at this point it is unclear if the distractions as of late are to blame. What is clear however, is that Felton will appear in court on June 2nd. Felton and the Knicks have a long season ahead of them.
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