The New York Knicks’ charade of a season continues to spiral wildly out of control.
According to multiple media reports, starting point-guard Raymond Felton has been arrested and charged with threatening his estranged wife with a firearm. Felton remained in police custody early Tuesday afternoon after ESPN reports he turned himself into police shortly after midnight, not long after the Knicks dropped a Garden buzzer-beater to the Dallas Mavericks 110-108.
Felton played 34-minutes against the Mavs, finishing with eight points and seven assists. Prior to the start of the game, ESPN adds an attorney for wife Ariane Raymondo-Felton arrived at a Manhattan police precinct with a Belgian-made FN Herstal pistol, claiming his client had been threatened with the weapon by the struggling Felton.
Later that night, Raymondo-Felton went to the precinct herself and made a statement to detectives, who quickly contacted Madison Square Garden security about speaking with Felton. The veteran guard made no statement to the media after arriving at the precinct with his lawyer to turn himself in.
The 29-year-old, nine-year veteran was formally charged with second- and third-degree criminal possession of a firearm, both of which are felonies, and fourth-degree possession of a firearm, a misdemeanor. Police also added Felton was in possession of a gun he wasn’t registered to own. He is expected to appear in criminal court in Manhattan later in the day.
A law student at Fordham University School of Law, Raymondo-Felton filed for divorce from her husband earlier this month. NBA spokesman Tim Frank told reporters the league is “monitoring” Felton’s situation and a team spokesman said the team had no immediate comment.
Felton inked a three-year, $10 million contract with the Knicks before the 2012-13 season, but has struggled mightily this season, shooting just 40.3 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from 3-point range while averaging 10.4 points per game. The Knicks are rumored to have offered him up in several proposed trade packages before last week’s trade deadline.
NYC is notorious for its ultra-strict gun possession laws. In 2009, then New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress was sentenced to two years in prison after accepting a plea deal on a firearm charge highlighted by him accidentally shooting himself at a local nightclub. Before reaching the plea deal, Burress faced a minimum sentence of 3½ years if convicted at trial.
The Knicks had no game scheduled Tuesday and next play Thursday night in Miami.
