Bryant Pleads No Contest to Reckless Driving Charge

Former San Francisco 49ers receiver Antonio Bryant pleaded no contest to reckless driving and was sentenced to a year's probation for going more than 100 mph in his orange Lamborghini.
Bryant's defense lawyer, Josh Bentley, entered the plea on Bryant's behalf. Bryant also was fined $1,312, but prosecutors dropped a more serious charge of resisting arrest as part of the plea deal, said San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. The 49ers released Bryant in March, just one season after he signed a four-year contract worth $14 million. Bryant caught 40 passes last season for a team-leading 733 yards. But he repeatedly clashed with coach Mike Nolan and was suspended four games for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy.

Police officers said that when they pulled Bryant over on Highway 101 in San Mateo, he showed signs of intoxication and was so combative they had to use leather restraints to hold him in the back of a squad car. Bryant was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving but refused to take a sobriety test, which led to an automatic one-year suspension of his license, Wagstaffe said. Prosecutors ultimately did not file DUI charges because of a lack of evidence.