Darrelle Revis and the New York Jets will have to wait a few weeks longer to find out what his preliminary hearing will bring about.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the preliminary hearing, which was originally supposed to take place Thursday, has been pushed back to March 15.
Following up on this information, Rapoport explained what this means to Revis and the Jets.
What does Revis’ hearing being pushed back mean? #Jets won’t get an answer until after FA starts. Longer until he can land on exempt list
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 21, 2017
Ralph Vacchiano of SNY added some more context as to why this complicates matters for the Jets.
So Revis' next court hearing will be 12:30 p.m. on March 15 — 6 days after free agency starts and 4 days after he's due a $2M bonus.
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) February 21, 2017
It’s been reported that the Jets will likely be able to place Revis on the NFL commissioner’s exempt list in 2017, which would release a roster spot in Revis’ absence, if he is unable to play.
Revis is being accused of four felonies and one misdemeanor (more on that here), and if he’s convicted he faces extended jail time. A video was recently released that shows the two alleged victims of the altercation in question laid out on the ground. In the video, a man’s voice can be heard saying, “Hey, I knocked both of these mother f—— out, both of them,” he says in the eight-second clip. “They both asleep. Shut up before I knock your a– out next.”
Revis’ lawyer has maintained his client was the victim, rather than the aggressor and that Revis did not throw any punches. Revis also has the support of former teammate Brandon Browner, who said the voice on the tape is distinctly not Revis‘.
More information is sure to emerge about all this in the coming weeks, and we’ll be tracking it with interest. Revis has long been one of the best players in the NFL, and he has never been involved in anything like the incident in question before.