Jaxson De Ville
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
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Former Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith has resolved a criminal case that first emerged last year.
He’d been charged with having unlawful sex with a minor. Via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com, Smith has pleaded no contest to child abuse. Smith received three years’ probation.
“Great player. Great person. Great father,” attorney Hank Coxe said in a statement. “Huge fan of this town. He will move on and do fine.”
Smith also was ordered to have no contact with the 17-year-old girl he was accused of sexually abusing. He cannot have any contact with any girls under 18 who aren’t family members, absent formal approval by evaluators and counselors.
Under the original charges, arising under a law that prohibits someone 24 or older from engaging in sexual activity with a person 16 or 17 years of age, Smith faced up to 15 years in prison.
Smith, a fifth-round pick in 2014, played five years with the Jaguars. He qualified for the 2017 Pro Bowl, but then he abruptly retired from football after the 2018 season, sacrificing the $9.75 million salary that he was due to earn in 2019.