Monday, April 20, 2009

Ole Miss coach pleads guilty

Mississippi announced today that basketball coach Andy Kennedy has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct resulting from a conflict with a cab driver in Cincinnati on Dec 18, 2008.

Kennedy, 41, played one season for N.C. State, averaging 2.6 points in 1986-87, before he transferred to Alabama-Birmingham. He later played briefly for the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA.

He was arrested and accused of hitting taxi driver Mohammed Jiddou, who said the coach used racial slurs.

In a news release, Ole Miss said Kennedy will serve probation up to six months, do 40 hours of community service and pay a $100 fine plus court costs.

"I want to take this opportunity to apologize ... to the entire Ole Miss family for any negative light that has been shown as a result of my involvement in this unfortunate situation," Kennedy said in the release.

"I acknowledge using poor judgment which resulted in an adverse reflection on me, my family, our program and the university that I so proudly represent."

The Rebels went 16-15 overall and 7-9 in the Southeastern Conference last season. Kennedy's first two teams at the school went 21-13 and 24-11.

-- J.P. Giglio

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