‘I Hope My Mistake Can Inspire Others To Think Before Acting’

After felony gun charges against Eastern Michigan basketball star Emoni Bates were dropped on Wednesday, Emoni Bates issued a statement.

“I hold myself accountable for making a poor decision, and hope you can forgive me as I grow because this will not be my last mistake, however, a lasting stigma to remind me of severity of such a mistake,” it read in part.

The charges were dropped during a court session with Judge Patrick J. Conlin, Jr. of Washtenaw County (MI).

Bates’ attorney Steve Haney said by text that “all gun felonies [were] dismissed” and the 6-foot-9 Bates was charged with a misdemeanor of “Attempted Unlawful Transportation of a Weapon.”

He will have a “court-ordered mentorship program by [a] panel of me and the prosecutor’s choosing,” Haney said.

Bates, who turns 19 in January, returned to practice at Eastern Michigan last week.

Bates was arrested Sept. 18 after failing to stop at a stop sign and charged with two felonies for carrying a concealed weapon and obliterating a serial number on a gun. He was also driving without a license.

“Here’s the issue, I smell weed coming from this car right now,” the arresting officer told Bates after pulling him over and then realizing he was a basketball star, according to dashboard video obtained by TMZ,

“I just left my cousin house, I just smoked weed,” Bates replied.

Bates was shown calling his mother, Edith, while handcuffed in the back seat. He cried and explained he had been arrested and that there was weed and a gun in the car.

“I’m in the back of the car, momma, I got caught with a gun,” Bates says in the video.

“It’s OK, it’s OK,” his mother replied.

“They caught me with weed, momma, they caught me with weed,” he adds.

“Calm down, you’re OK. No, you’re good, it’s OK,” his mother appeared to say.

“We’ll be there soon, OK? Alright, baby,” she adds.

The dashboard cam also shows the police examining the 9-mm handgun and discussing how the serial numbers had “popped off.”

Bates borrowed the car from someone else and maintained he was not aware there was a gun in it, Haney said.

He was released from jail on Sept. 19.

Bates was the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2021 and appeared as a 15-year-old on the cover of Sports Illustrated along the headline “Born for This,” with a subhead comparing him to Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James.

Still, after reclassifying and enrolling at Memphis last season, Bates had a disappointing year under coach Penny Hardaway, the former NBA star. He averaged 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 38.6% from the field.

Bates had been projected by ESPN.com in June as the No. 33 pick in next year’s draft, but was then removed altogether after the arrest.