NEW BEDFORD — Former New Bedford High School basketball star Brian E. Rudolph will receive no jail time for stabbing another teen in the back last April, a court decision that has angered police who investigated the case.

Mr. Rudolph, 18, a New Bedford basketball star who at the time of the stabbing had a full basketball scholarship waiting for him at Providence College, received three years of probation and 300 hours of community service yesterday for his part in a stabbing last April in Acushnet.”


This was his first time involved with the police and otherwise he’s an outstanding student and athlete.

Does he deserve another chance?

“Mr. Raposo, who suffered a 5-inch gash in his back, said he understood why the court rendered its decision.

“I’m upset in a way, but you have to forgive,” he said. “If he’d been found guilty, it would have followed him around. It would have been tough to get a job.”

In court yesterday, Mr. Rudolph read a letter of apology. Mr. Raposo said he was in court to hear it and felt the apology was genuine.

“He seemed sincere with the letter he read out in court,” he said. “He said he was sorry. He said that immediately after he did it, he had no clue why he did it, and that he felt scared that he did it.”

I’m glad the courts did what they did. He made a mistake, he’s a young man with his whole life ahead of him. He may have lost his scholarship but he learned a valuable lesson about partying, life, and consequences