Athletes with Legal Trouble
NFL star Michael Vick was sentenced to up to 23 months in prison in 2007 for running a dog fighting organization. The details of the dog fighting ring sparked a public backlash against the once-popular Vick, who was suspended by the NFL and abandoned by his sponsors. However, Vick has made an extraordinary comeback and recently signed a six-year, $100 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2011, Vick joined federal lawmakers and the Humane Society of the United States and called on Congress to pass H.R. 2492, the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act. The law would prohibit participation in organized animal fights and impose additional penalties for a minor`s participation in such events. Professional athletes often have millions in the bank, and while that doesn`t put them above the law, it often helps them get a significantly reduced sentence or avoid being charged entirely because they have a great criminal defense lawyer by their side. If you`re in St. Louis, MO and facing charges similar to those of any of the athletes mentioned above, contact Combs Law Group today for your free consultation. One night in June 2017, Brooklyn police arrested Sebastian Telfair after seeing him park on a median strip and then turn around from that median while he was driving without headlights. After stopping the car, police noticed the smell of marijuana — likely from the burning gasket visible in the console — and a search revealed a .45-caliber handgun. As Telfair did not have a licence to carry this firearm, he was arrested for criminal possession of a firearm.
In August 2019, a judge sentenced Telfair to three and a half years in prison, the mandatory sentence required by law for such a crime. Etienne continued to box, but soon returned to his old criminal habits. In August 2005, Etienne broke into a check-cashing station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and stole $1,900. To escape, he tried to steal a car with two children. When it didn`t work, he stole another car. who also had two children inside. He didn`t go far before destroying it, the police caught up with him and he fired a defective weapon. Police in Garland, Texas, said Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib surrendered in March 2011 with a warrant for aggravated assault with a lethal weapon. Police said Talib attempted to physically attack Shannon Billings, the boyfriend of Talib`s sister, and that Talib and his mother Okolo Talib shot Billings. Billings was not hit by the gunfire. The two men reportedly argued when the altercation took place.
In August 2016, Sharper pleaded guilty or uncontested in federal and four different state courts. A 15-page statement signed as part of the former Pro Bowler`s plea deal says he or a former police officer, Brandon Licciardi, would numb women with tranquilizers or anti-anxiety medications so Sharper could rape them. Sharper received a light 20-year sentence from a Louisiana judge after being sentenced to more than 18 years by a federal judge. Incredibly, the high-profile athlete`s multi-jurisdictional plea deal previously only required nine years in prison – which was eventually recognized as terribly easy. In May 2012, a federal judge in Ohio sentenced the arbitrator to 127 months in prison. It was the final nail in the legal coffin for the former QB, who had been experiencing legal and financial problems for 15 years. With his stature as a former college football star and professional athlete, Schlichter promised people tickets to football games — school, professional, and even the Super Bowl. These people paid the referees large sums of money, but he never delivered the tickets. He had no ticket resale business, but used the money for personal expenses, such as gambling and paying off unpaid debts. The NFL team with the most arrests is the Minnesota Vikings, who have 49 of those charges in their name. In second place are the Denver Broncos with 47 arrests. In third place are the Cincinnati Bengals, although their number (44) is greatly amplified by their player Adam “Pacman” Jones, which you can read below.
As one of the greatest running backs to ever play in the National Football League (NFL), Simpson had legal issues after his retirement. In 2007, former Yankee and two-time World Series champion Jim Leyritz was involved in a vehicle murder when he collided with another vehicle, killing its driver, Freida Vietch. Police took a blood sample and Leyritz showed a blood alcohol level of 0.14 at the time of the crash, which is above the legal limit of 0.08. Leyritz was acquitted of manslaughter by the jury and received one year of probation and a $500 fine. Leyritz also paid $350,000 to the victim`s family. He dropped out in 1999 and his future resembled that of 2003 when he married fellow bodybuilder Kelly Ryan, who racked up a number of victories on the circuit and was olympic fitness runner-up three times. Then, in December 2005, the cremated body of Melissa James, Titus and Ryan`s personal assistant, was found in Ryan`s car on a street outside Las Vegas. After escaping police for more than a week, the two men were arrested at a nail salon in Boston. The duo initially claimed that James had died of a drug overdose, and for fear of being arrested, he burned the body and left it in a car and left town. However, police said James was shot with a stun gun, given morphine and strangled to death with a wire.
In 2008, Titus was sentenced to 21 to 55 years in prison, while Ryan received two consecutive prison sentences of 3 to 13 years.