Brooklyn Nets coach Jason Kidd pleaded guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge and was placed on interim probation a year after he smashed his Cadillac SUV into a utility pole on eastern Long Island. In exchange for the guilty plea, Kidd agreed to speak to Long Island high school students about the dangers of drunken driving. If he fulfills his community service, his plea will be reduced to a violation, driving while ability impaired, when he returns to court Sept. 30. Kidd, who retired as an NBA player after last season, was recently hired to coach the Nets -- the team he took to two NBA Finals as a player when the franchise played in New Jersey. Kidd could have received three years' probation, but a better alternative was reached, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said outside court. "He's a role model to kids and other people. And he's going to have the opportunity to talk to them about the foolish mistake that he made and the fact he took responsibility for his actions," Spota said. "That is, for me, more important than three years' probation." Police said Kidd crashed his SUV into a telephone pole in the Hamptons community of Water Mill on July 15, 2012. He was treated at a hospital for minor injuries. Read more http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/sto...idd-brooklyn-nets-pleads-guilty-dwi-case-2012
