One of the six men charged with the assault on former NHL player Paul Bissonnette has pleaded guilty, as part of a plea deal that includes up to six months of jail time and a possibility of three years unsupervised probation. John Carroll, who admitted to aggravated assault, will also potentially face fines, according to a report by FOX 10 Phoenix. The attack, which occurred outside Houston’s restaurant in Scottsdale on November 24 last year, was captured on video and released by Scottsdale Police. Danny Bradley, William Carroll, Sean Daley, Edward Jennings, and Henry Mesker were identified as the other suspects.
Four of the suspects, excluding William J. Carroll and Edward Jennings – who face misdemeanor accusations – have been offered plea deals. Sean Daley's lawyers argued to notably reduce the initial aggression charges, pleading for a misdemeanor instead of aggravated assault. Daley, described as a family man who "drank too much and acted badly," has contended he was defending a family member in the scuffle. His defense told KOLD News 13 that "Daley is not a criminal nor is he a troublemaker." Specific details about the plea deals offered to Bradley, John Gerrard Carroll, and Mesker have not yet been publicized.
The incident started when Bissonnette stepped in during a disturbance at a restaurant. Video shows the former Coyotes player approaching a group that was acting out and reportedly bothering the staff. Things got physical and moved into a nearby parking lot. On the Spittin' Chiclets podcast, Bissonnette said he saw the men get aggressive after being refused more drinks, and he tried to calm things down, as per FOX 10 Phoenix.
Bissonnette, known during his career as an enforcer, played for the Arizona Coyotes from 2009 to 2014, before the team relocated and became the Utah Mammoth. Carroll is set to be sentenced on October 6, which will finally bring to close a chapter that began with an attempt to simply keep the peace. The legal outcomes for the remaining defendants could pivot entirely depending on their decisions to either accept or reject their respective plea offers, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
