Thabo Sefolosha, the basketball player, was offered a lenient plea bargain on Wednesday to resolve criminal charges against him arising from a scuffle with the police in Manhattan: Do a day of community service, stay out of trouble for six months and the charges would be dismissed.
It was the sort of deal most defendants would pounce on. But Mr. Sefolosha, a forward for the Atlanta Hawks, refused the offer from prosecutors and insisted on going to trial instead. His lawyer, Alex Spiro, said his client was standing on principle, because he believes four police officers arrested him for no reason, breaking a bone in his right leg and causing him to miss the N.