NBA Suspends Jeff Taylor 24 Games Following Domestic Violence Plea

  Charlotte Hornets forward Jeff Taylor has been suspended 24 games without pay after pleading guilty to misdemeanor domestic abuse charges last month for which he will serve 18 months of probation.

According to ESPN, the veteran Taylor also pleaded to malicious destruction of hotel property charges stemming from an episode in September 25, at the Marriott Hotel in East Lansing, Michigan. During a scuffle with his girlfriend, Taylor admitted to pushing her into a wall. As part of his probation, Taylor will also be forced to complete a six-month domestic violence intervention program.

The suspension will cost the third-year veteran nearly $200,000 in salary. Taylor has already sat for the Hornets first 11 games of this season, making him eligible to potentially be back on the court as early as mid-December.

“This suspension is necessary to protect the interests of the NBA and the public’s confidence in it,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “Mr. Taylor’s conduct violates applicable law and, in my opinion, does not conform to standards of morality and is prejudicial and detrimental to the NBA.”

Sources told ESPN’s Marc Stein that Taylor and his representatives are now strategizing with union officials concerning their options in offering a public response. According to ESPN, Taylor’s 24 game suspension does not represent a new league standard for domestic violence cases. NBA officials have recently hinted they plan to deal with such issues on a case-by-case, individual basis.

Taylor has spent all three of his NBA seasons with the Hornets, averaging 6.6 points and two rebounds over his career. His best season came in 2013-14 when he averaged eight points, 2.3 rebounds and an assist in 24 minutes.

With Taylor out of the lineup, the Hornets have relied on a swingman rotation of Lance Stephenson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marvin Williams, Gerald Henderson and P.J. Hairston.

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