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PRINT THIS PAGE | E-MAIL THIS PAGE Friday, January 9, 1998 Proposed Morris plea bargain would land running back behind bars ROCKWALL, Texas (AP) -- Bam Morris is willing to spend time behind bars as part of the punishment for violating his probation, the running back's attorney said Thursday. "Bam is prepared to do what he has to do to put this behind him," attorney Keith Wheeler said. Wheeler said a plea bargain has been reached with prosecutors. The deal will be presented to state District Judge Sue Pirtle on Monday, when Morris' trial was to begin. "She'll have absolute discretion whether to accept the agreement," said Wheeler, adding that he wouldn't be surprised if the judge stiffened the punishment. Assistant district attorney Rick Calvert confirmed that the state has offered a deal that would put Morris in the Rockwall County jail for four months. Wheeler said there also would be "increased probation with intense supervision." Morris, an unrestricted free agent who was the Baltimore Ravens' leading rusher last season, is scheduled to be tried on charges he violated the terms of his probation for a 1996 marijuana conviction. Morris was arrested March 22, 1996, in the east Dallas suburb of Rockwall after a state trooper found six pounds of marijuana in the trunk of Morris' car. That June, he pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana and prosecutors dropped a more serious charge of cocaine possession. He was placed on six years' probation, fined $7,000 and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service. He could have been sentenced to 10 years in prison. On Monday, Pirtle will consider charges that Morris missed seven meetings with parole officers, that he consumed alcohol and assault charges filed by Dallas resident April Dawn Brittain after an incident at a Nov. 16 birthday party in Woodlawn, Md. Morris was suspended for the first four games of the 1997 season after he tested positive for alcohol, a violation of the NFL's policy on substance and alcohol abuse. Ravens officials later said the substance was beer. Ravens owner Art Modell has said he will not make a decision on re-signing Morris until after the trial. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below: texnews.com Reporter OnLine Local Sports Texas Sports Copyright ©1998, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below:

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