New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Maye was set to appear in Florida court this week for his February 2021 DUI charge, but his jury trial has been rescheduled yet again. As first reported by ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, Broward County court records show that Maye’s next hearing will occur on Aug. 17 regarding a change of plea — originally, he pleaded not guilty.
That new court date is scheduled at the same time as a joint practice between the Saints and the Los Angeles Chargers (before their Aug. 20 preseason game), so Maye will miss some time at practice attending to his legal proceedings. The Saints and Chargers will practice together Aug. 17 and 18.
It’s taken a long time for this to play out. Drew Brees was still the Saints quarterback when Maye was first charged in Fort Lauderdale, and Maye had not yet signed with New Orleans. But a series of delays and rescheduled hearings has occurred in the case.
Will this impact Maye’s 2023 availability? The NFL has set a precedent for waiting until the legal process concludes to issue its own discipline, but Maye will likely face a three-game suspension once this has wrapped up. If he reaches a resolution on Aug. 17, the league may issue a suspension to start the regular season, though it’s possible they could wait longer and hand down discipline once the season has already started. Stay tuned.