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Michigan State’s Derrick Nix pleads guilty to lesser charge after arrest, to rejoin MSU

DerrickNixHook

The future of Michigan State forward Derrick Nix with the Spartans was in “serious jeopardy,” according to Tom Izzo following a traffic stop that saw Nix arrested on two misdemeanor charges nine days ago.

Turns out, following a press conference Thursday afternoon, Nix will ultimately rejoin the team, reports Diamond Leung of MLive.com.

Nix pleaded guilty Thursday morning to a lesser charge of impaired driving, which can carry a maximum sentence of 93 days in prison and a fine of $100, in addition to a 180-day driver’s license suspension.

Nix, 21, was pulled over in the early hours of April 3 after running a red light, which led to suspicion of impairment, the arresting officer said. Nix then failed a field sobriety test and a joint containing 0.6 grams of marijuana was recovered from the vehicle that Nix was driving, a 2011 Dodge Charger, according to the police report.

This past season, Nix averaged 7.9 points and 3.7 rebounds for the Spartans and, if he rejoins the team, is expected to take on a larger role, as senior Draymond Green graduates.

The 6-9, 270-pound native of Detroit, Mich., had his biggest game of the 2011-12 season in the Round of 64 of the NCAA tournament, when he tallied 18 points and eight rebounds in a win over LIU-Brooklyn.

Nix is set to be sentenced on May 11.

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_