The 15-month-old legal case pending in Florida for New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Maye has been continued until Aug. 24, according to court records.
Maye faces three misdemeanor charges related to an alleged incident from February 2021 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, including driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and DUI property damage. He also faces a citation of careless driving. On the day after his arrest, Maye entered a not guilty plea on all charges.
To this point, the NFL has not disciplined Maye. The league typically waits until the legal side is wrapped up before it issues suspensions or fines.
A first offense of driving under the influence carries a three-game suspension under NFL policy. However, the commissioner reserves the right to increase the length of suspensions in matters with "aggravating circumstances," which includes property damage.
According to records from the Broward County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Highway Patrol, Maye was driving on the Florida Turnpike on Feb. 22, 2021, when he crashed into a Volvo and left the scene. The Florida Highway Patrol found Maye in his vehicle, a 2018 Mercedes-Benz SUV, less than a mile from the crash, according to police records.
The driver's side door was open, according to police records, and Maye was sitting in the front seat with his head out of the door and was facing the ground. Upon further questioning by police at the scene, records indicate Maye said he did not know he had hit another vehicle and said he hadn't been drinking.
Officers reported the smell of alcohol, according to records, and reported that Maye's speech was slurred and he had bloodshot eyes. Police also indicated there was vomit on the driver's door and the floorboard. Maye declined to take a field sobriety test or a breath test.
"Marcus Maye has not committed any crime, nor was he either intoxicated or impaired,'' Eric Schwartzreich, Maye's lawyer, said in an email to The Associated Press in October. "Mr. Maye will have his day in court on these erroneous misdemeanor accusations, where we are confident that he will be found not guilty.''
The first hearing on the matter was May 19, 2021. Other hearings have been in July, August, October, January and this month. His next Zoom hearing is scheduled for 8 a.m. Aug. 24.
The August hearing will coincide with Saints training camp and will fall between the Saints' second and third preseason games.
Maye is also being sued in civil court by the driver of the other vehicle. That jury trial is set to begin on March 2, according to court records.
The plaintiff in the civil suit, Jamila Abraham of Belle Glade, Florida, is seeking damages in excess of $30,000, according to the court filing. According to the civil lawsuit, Abraham was the driver of the other vehicle and suffered injuries to her neck and back.
The Saints signed Maye in March to a three-year deal worth $28.5 million, with $15 million fully guaranteed.
Maye played for the New York Jets at the time of his arrest.