The two Louisville basketball players involved in an incident with police last week were sentenced to one year of probation on Monday after pleading guilty to the charge of resisting law enforcement.
G Jerry Smith and F Terrence Jennings now must complete 40 hours of community service and pay nearly $500 in court fees.
Court documents say that Smith and Jennings “knowingly and intentionally defied, obstructed and interfered with Officer Thomas Mitchell while Mitchell was engaged in the execution of his duties,” according to court documents.
The two players resisted arrest from off-duty police officers (wearing T-shirts clearly labeled POLICE on the front and back) after a fight broke out at an alumni homecoming event a few weeks ago. Jennings had to be tasered twice by police before submitting.
“Both Terrence and I can assure you and everyone else that we will do what we are required to do and we will work very hard to make up for this both in the classroom and on the court,” Smith said.
Coach Rick Pitino has already announced that his two players would not miss game time stemming from the incident.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at 11:14 pm by bryan
The offseason of turmoil just keeps on rolling for Louisville.
Last weekend, basketball players Jerry Smith and Terrence Jennings were involved in an altercation with off-duty police officers, which led to their arrest.
Now, Louisville coach Rick Pitino has announced that his two players will not miss any game time because of the incident.
“Anytime you defy a police officer, it’s serious,” Pitino told ESPN.com. “They will be punished and are being punished right now. But no, they will not miss game time.”
Each player was only charged with one count of resisting law enforcement, a misdemeanor charge that carries a maximum of one year in jail and a $5,000 fine. At first, the police report asked that the two students were charged with multiple counts.
In the police report, it was said that off-duty officers (who were wearing T-shirts that read “Police” on the front and back) were working at an alumni homecoming party when a fight broke out. The police found Jennings in the fray when they went inside.
The police took Jennings outside and pinned him to the ground, but he “continued to fight with officers; trying to get back to his feet and refusing to place his hands behind his back,” according to the police report. The police used a Taser on Jennings twice before he calmed down.
Smith saw Jennings on the ground and approached the officers; he would not comply with the officers’ request to back away, and he resisted when an officer tried to hold him back.
“I think Jerry saw a teammate on the ground and didn’t want to abandon him,” Pitino said. “I think he saw a teammate taking some pretty good blows and tried to help.”
Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 10:39 pm by bryan
