Michigan State dismissed defensive end Itayvion Brown from the team last month. The move comes after he was indefinitely suspended from the team beginning in February and later an incident on March 17 that has resulted in Brown facing multiple gun charges.

Brown's legal representative entered a not guilty plea Friday morning for him during a virtual hearing in East Lansing’s 54-B District Court. Brown's not guilty plea -- on felony charges of carrying a concealed weapon and a misdemeanor charge of firearms possession while under the influence -- comes just under a month after the alleged incident. MLive's Matt Wenzel first reported the charges.

The presiding judge at the hearing, Molly E. Hennessey, set a bond for $5,000 and is allowing Brown to live with his parents in Missouri. He is next scheduled for a probable cause conference on April 28.

The felony for carrying a concealed weapon carries a maximum punishment of up to five years in prison or a $25,000 fine. The misdemeanor charge of firearms possession while under the influence carries a maximum punishment of up to 93 days in jail. Brown is also required to forfeit the gun which has already been seized by police.

“Itayvion Brown was dismissed from the Michigan State football team last month and did not participate in spring practice," per a written statement issued by Michigan State Athletics. "Previously, he had been indefinitely suspended from team activities beginning in late February.”

The Spartans began spring practices on March 14 and will conclude spring ball with the Spartan Football Kickoff event on Saturday, April 15.

Brown is a former four-star recruit from St. Louis who goes by the nickname "Tank." He transferred to Michigan State after one season at Minnesota and appeared in 12 games in the past two seasons logging five tackles.

The weapons charges against Brown come just five months after he faced criminal charges for his role in the postgame tunnel incident at Michigan Stadium in which multiple MSU players repeatedly hit and kicked two Michigan players who had entered the tunnel with the visiting team.

Six MSU players -- including Brown -- were eventually charged with misdemeanor assault following the Spartans' 29-7 loss on Oct. 29 to rival Michigan. Another player, Khary Crump, was also charged with felony assault. The Wolverines later updated tunnel safety protocols to better align with Big Ten athletics policies following a reprimand of both programs from the conference office. The Spartans involved in the incident were suspended for the remainder of the season by MSU and Krump remains suspended for the 2023 season by the league.

Brown entered a pre-plea diversion program in January that would allow the charges to be dropped after completion in June if he successfully completed a plan worked out with the Washtenaw County probation office. While he is not on probation for his charges, Brown's bond conditions prohibit him from committing a crime. Court records for the 15th District Court in Ann Arbor indicate Brown has a pretrial hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. on Monday, April 17.

Brown is the second power-five football player in Michigan to face felony concealed weapons charges in the past year. Last fall UM football player Mazi Smith was also charged with felony carrying a concealed weapon roughly two months after the Oct. 7 alleged incident and following the conclusion of the regular season for the Wolverines' football team. Smith was pulled over for speeding and disclosed to police that he had a weapon. He entered a plea deal for a misdemeanor charge of attempted possession of a loaded firearm in or upon a vehicle that carries a maximum two-year and/or $2,500 fine. It was not made clear in court proceedings if Smith was forced to forfeit his weapon as required by the charge.

Since being dismissed from the team, Spartans Illustrated confirmed that Brown entered the transfer portal on April 15.

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