Was Miles Bridges convicted of abusing his wife? Examining the background of Hornets forward's response to online accusation
On Saturday, Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges denied the domestic violence allegations against him raised by fans on social media. Bridges replied to a user calling him an abuser, stating he had never abused anyone. Bridges then responded to a photo of his wife, Mychelle Johnson's injuries, with a now-deleted comment of, "Acne and failed lip filler."
Miles Bridges was accused of domestic violence after Mychelle Johnson came forward in June 2022, when she posted photos of her injuries. He turned himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department on the eve of the 2022 NBA Free Agency. Bridges pleaded no contest to the accusation, accepted the conviction but did not admit guilt, and was sentenced to three years of probation and no jail time.
According to CBS Sports, Bridges had a court-ordered criminal protective order that prevented him from going near Johnson under any circumstance. However, Bridges was later accused of breaking the protective order and throwing pool balls at Johnson's vehicle while threatening her in October 2023.
The charges of domestic violence, including the second accusation in October, have since been dropped due to a "lack of sufficient evidence."
"He's not a woman beater": Mychelle Johnson defends Miles Bridges from fans
The domestic violence accusations against Miles Bridges led to him being suspended for the first 10 games of the 2023-24 season after he sat out the entire 2022-23 season. There was a lot of debate about whether that punishment was sufficient, with some saying that Bridges should not be allowed back into the NBA.
Reacting to the backlash against the Hornets forward, Mychelle Johnson defended Bridges on X, formerly Twitter. She said Bridges was not a woman beater and appealed to fans:
"I'm the one who spoke out almost a year ago & sometimes I wish I didn't seeing the way people treat others & considering I'll always have love for Miles & our kids love him, but it also hurts me to see the constant bashing & tearing down on him. He is a human being just like us all, I make mistakes. You do, we all do.
"He's not a woman beater, if you asked me to describe him that word would never come to my mind & he's never, never abused our children. We all have our flaws & he's not perfect but overall he's a good person.
"And no he didn't ask me to say any of this, I chose to. I'm the reason for the bashing & hopefully I can be the reason for an open heart."
Despite Johnson's wishes, he still receives a lot of criticism from fans, as evident from the recent social media exchange on Saturday.