Former NFL receiver Chad Johnson sentenced to 30 days in jail for slapping his attorney on the backside
Former NFL Pro-Bowl receiver Chad Johnson had reached a deal with prosecutors on Monday, where he'd be called upon to both get counseling and do community service for failing to meet with his probation officer after allegedly head-butting his ex-wife.
That is until Broward County Circuit Judge Kathleen McHugh asked Johnson if he was satisfied with his attorney, Adam Swickle. In response, the former NFL star lightly slapped his lawyer on the backside to showcase that he was satisfied in a professional football-esque way. While the rest of the court was laughing at the response, Judge McHugh was none too pleased, and decided to send Johnson to jail for 30 days instead of accept the plea deal.
In response to Johnson's action, the judge said:
"I don't know that you're taking this whole thing seriously. I just saw you slap your attorney on the backside. Is there something funny about this? The whole courtroom was laughing. I'm not going to accept these plea negotiations. This isn't a joke."
Johnson then countered the judge's comments with this:
"This is your courtroom. I have no intent to make this a joke. It's not funny. My life is in shambles right now and I try my best to laugh and keep a smile on my face."
While I can understand the judge wanting to keep things professional, I think this was a bit of an overreaction on her part. I could understand adding a month of probation or even sentencing Johnson to 24 hours in jail to go along with the required counseling and community service. However, a full month seems to be a bit much. If Johnson ever finds himself in this same situation again, he may want to stick to an end zone dance or if he really wants to be cautious, a chest bump.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9360765/chad-johnson-serve-30-days-jail
That is until Broward County Circuit Judge Kathleen McHugh asked Johnson if he was satisfied with his attorney, Adam Swickle. In response, the former NFL star lightly slapped his lawyer on the backside to showcase that he was satisfied in a professional football-esque way. While the rest of the court was laughing at the response, Judge McHugh was none too pleased, and decided to send Johnson to jail for 30 days instead of accept the plea deal.
In response to Johnson's action, the judge said:
"I don't know that you're taking this whole thing seriously. I just saw you slap your attorney on the backside. Is there something funny about this? The whole courtroom was laughing. I'm not going to accept these plea negotiations. This isn't a joke."
Johnson then countered the judge's comments with this:
"This is your courtroom. I have no intent to make this a joke. It's not funny. My life is in shambles right now and I try my best to laugh and keep a smile on my face."
While I can understand the judge wanting to keep things professional, I think this was a bit of an overreaction on her part. I could understand adding a month of probation or even sentencing Johnson to 24 hours in jail to go along with the required counseling and community service. However, a full month seems to be a bit much. If Johnson ever finds himself in this same situation again, he may want to stick to an end zone dance or if he really wants to be cautious, a chest bump.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9360765/chad-johnson-serve-30-days-jail
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