A Mobile County court case involving former Auburn University standout and Williamson High School football player Nick Fairley moved a step closer to trial in December 2014, after the ex-Detroit Lions defensive lineman turned down a plea agreement offered by the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office.
The case dates back to a May 2012 traffic stop on Interstate 10 near U.S. 90 in the Tillman’s Corner area, where an Alabama state trooper accused Fairley of driving at speeds approaching 100 mph. Fairley was charged with DUI and reckless driving following the stop.
Fairley initially pleaded guilty to both charges in September 2012 and was sentenced to a six-month suspended jail term, a year of probation and a $600 fine. But he later appealed, seeking entry into a pretrial diversion program that could have led to the charges being dismissed from his record. That request touched off a dispute between his defense team and prosecutors over whether such an arrangement had ever been agreed to.
Prosecutors with the Mobile County DA’s Office argued that a separate marijuana possession arrest in April 2012 made Fairley ineligible for the diversion program, since eligibility requires a clean criminal record. That marijuana charge was ultimately dismissed in December 2012, but it remained central to the office’s position that Fairley did not qualify for diversion.
With the appeal unresolved, prosecutors offered Fairley a new plea deal in Mobile County Circuit Court. Under the proposed agreement, presented to Circuit Judge Sarah Stewart, Fairley would have received a six-month suspended sentence and a year of probation on the DUI count, along with a $600 fine and court costs. He also would have been required to complete DUI school and attend a victim impact panel. On the reckless driving charge, the deal called for an additional $250 fine plus court costs.
Fairley rejected that offer during a court appearance, with one of his attorneys telling the judge the decision was driven by his continued hope of being admitted to the diversion program rather than accepting a conviction on his record. Fairley did not comment to reporters as he left the courthouse.
Following the rejection, Judge Stewart set a trial date of February 11 for the case to move forward. The proceedings drew local attention in part because of Fairley’s roots in the Mobile area — he starred at Williamson High School before playing at Auburn, where he helped lead the Tigers to a national championship, and was later a first-round NFL draft pick.
The case is a reminder that even athletes with national profiles remain subject to the same local court processes as any other resident when charges are filed in Mobile County. Circuit Court proceedings such as this one continue to work through the standard docket, with plea negotiations, appeals over diversion eligibility, and scheduled trial dates all playing out under the review of local judges and prosecutors.
As of the December 2014 hearing, the matter remained unresolved, with both sides preparing for the possibility of a trial in early 2015 unless a new agreement could be reached beforehand.