Justin Layne reached a plea deal with Lake County, Oh. prosecutors Wednesday in relation to his traffic stop on April 23rd that resulted in multiple vehicle charges and a felony firearms charge as he possessed a loaded gun in the vehicle without a concealed carry permit when he was pulled over.
The 23-year old Steelers cornerback of Michigan State plead guilty to charges of possession of criminal tools, driving on a suspended license and speeding for driving 89 MPH in a 60 MPH zone, all of which are misdemeanors.
As a result of the deal, the felony firearms charge was dropped by the Willoughby Municipal Court Judge Marisa Cornachio, but there were still consequences to Layne's guilty plea.
Cornachio ordered Layne to forfeit his gun, attend a gun safety instructional course, pay a $500 fine, perform 32 hours of community service, serve six months probation, and suspended a 180-day jail sentence.
Now that legal proceedings are finished, Layne now has to worry about consequences from the Steelers and the NFL. Neither organization has made any indication of what the punishment might be for Layne, but a suspension would certainly be in play.
The timing for Layne's violations come at what could be a vital point in his NFL career, as he's set to begin his third year with the Steelers in a secondary with only two cornerbacks who've started for the team.
If he misses any playing time due to this punishment and another cornerback like James Pierre, recently drafted Tre Norwood or undrafted free agent rookie Shakur Brown makes a good impression, it could put Layne too far behind the depth chart to make a difference this year. If that happens, Layne could be going into his contract year in 2022 without much playing experience and even less of a chance to prove his longterm worth to the Steelers' defense.
