No plea agreement reached for catcher
With A’s pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training Tuesday, starting catcher Bruce Maxwell remains in legal limbo.
No plea agreement was reached during Maxwell’s settlement conference Monday in Superior Court in Phoenix, and another hearing was set for 9 a.m. April 13; Oakland is scheduled to play in Seattle that evening. His trial date is Aug. 9 if a plea agreement is not reached.
Maxwell, 27, was indicted by a grand jury Nov. 7 on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct after allegedly pointing a gun at a fooddelivery person Oct. 28 in Scottsdale, Ariz. According to police accounts, Maxwell appeared to be intoxicated and made anti-police comments.
The A’s hoped that Maxwell’s case would be resolved before camp, and the team has not looked for additional catching help. Maxwell also could face discipline from Major League Baseball in the form of a suspension or fine or both.
Maxwell was unavailable for comment after the hearing; he is expected to address the media when Oakland’s pitchers and catchers report to camp Tuesday. Though he is unlikely to discuss the legal case while it is in progress, Maxwell might address whether he plans to kneel during the national anthem again this season.
Maxwell got national attention starting in September, when he became the first and to date only major-league player to kneel for the anthem in solidarity with NFL players protesting mistreatment of African Americans by police.
Maxwell, who is from a military family, placed his hand on his heart when kneeling, and when he discussed his decision to kneel, he emphasized his love for the country and his desire to help make it better for all. There was some backlash at stadiums and even more so on social media, including threats against Maxwell.
Maxwell made more waves in October when he told the Athletic that a self-described pro-Trump waiter at a restaurant in Huntsville, Ala., had refused to take his order because of his national-anthem decision.
TMZ picked up the story and the manager of the restaurant denied that the incident happened, saying the issue was that one member of the party didn’t have an ID to purchase alcohol. Maxwell’s dining companion, Huntsville City Council member Devyn Keith, supported Maxwell’s version of the story.