Seahawks rookie quarterback Trevone Boykin has been charged with assault in connection with an incident in December.
Seahawks rookie quarterback Trevone Boykin was charged with assault this week in connection with an incident Dec. 31 in San Antonio.
Bexar County (Texas) Court records show Boykin will face arraignment Aug. 1. The Seahawks open training camp July 30.
However, Boykin’s agent, Drew Pittman of Capital Sports Advisors, wrote in a statement that he is confident the charges soon will be resolved and will not impact Boykin’s availability for training camp while also disputing some of what was in an original story about the charge on TMZ.
“Some of the facts of today’s TMZ report are incorrect,” Pittman wrote in a statement. “Trevone has already agreed to terms with the authorities on a lesser charge. He has been accountable and remorseful from the beginning. Trevone is looking forward to training camp starting July 30th and to competing for a roster spot.”
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The Bexar County Criminal District Attorney’s Office also released a statement Tuesday confirming that a plea deal could be in the works.
“We are still discussing the terms of a possible plea agreement with Mr. Boykin and his attorney,” the statement read. “Our Office does not release the details of any possible plea until it has been finalized and entered with the Court.”
According to multiple reports following the incident, Boykin was arrested after being thrown out of a bar, and then he allegedly struck a police officer. The charge of assault-bodily injury carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $400 fine.
The Seahawks signed Boykin as a free agent shortly after the NFL draft, and he has emerged as a leading candidate to back up starter Russell Wilson. Those odds increased when Tarvaris Jackson was arrested Friday for allegedly pulling a gun on a woman reported to be his wife. Jackson has been the Seahawks’ backup QB the past three years, but is a free agent and not expected to re-sign with the Seahawks for 2016.
The Seahawks also have former Skyline High School standout quarterback Jake Heaps on the roster. Boykin and Heaps are the only quarterbacks on the roster behind Wilson.
In May, Boykin told reporters that he knew the incident likely led to him not being drafted and that he had hoped to learn from it.
“It probably had some effect, but like I said I’ve moved forward, pushed past it and surrounded myself with better people,” he said. “I’m doing better things and I’m excited for Coach (Pete) Carroll to call me and bless me with this opportunity.”
“I’ve learned a lot through the process, and the main thing is just being positive and doing the right things. That’s what Coach Carroll preaches. If you’re going to be a Seahawk, you be a Seahawk 24/7, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Seattle general manager John Schneider also said in an appearance on 710 ESPN Seattle in May that the incident likely led to Boykin going undrafted.
“In terms of getting in the book, being a pro and studying, those are things he’s going to need to prove to all of us over the next several weeks here as we evaluate him as a pro in the building,” Schneider said. ” … This guy has a lot of just pure talent. If he wouldn’t have had his incident I think we all agree he would have been taken much higher.”
Boykin was suspended for TCU’s appearance against Oregon in the Alamo Bowl as a result of the incident.
Boykin initially had faced a charge of assault on a public servant, a third-degree felony that carries a minimum of two years and a maximum of 10 years in prison.
The incident occurred at Pat O’Brien’s bar, and Boykin was alleged to have fought employees as they attempted to throw him out, and then he allegedly struck an officer outside the bar.
Later in a news conference, San Antonio police chief William McManus said the incident began when Boykin was recognized and heckled by other patrons.
McManus said a bike officer was struck by Boykin during the incident, perhaps inadvertently.
“Clearly this was not an appropriate way to act,” McManus said then. “He was being heckled, and he responded to it, unfortunately.”