Yahoo Sports Ex-Jaguars LB Telvin Smith pleads no contest to child abuse over alleged sexual relationship with 17-year-old
Former Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith will reportedly avoid prison time following his arrest over allegations of a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl.
The 2017 Pro Bowler pleaded no contest to a charge of third-degree child abuse on Friday, according to News4Jax's Vic Micolucci. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Smith will be on probation for three years (with one year waived due to his time on bond) and will undergo psychosexual counseling.
Smith is reportedly forbidden from contacting the listed victim, and must also have no contact with females outside his family under the age of 18 unless approved by the probation office.
Per ESPN, Smith's attorney Hank Coxe said the agreement withholds adjudication of guilt and allows Smith to maintain his innocence:
"Great player. Great person. Great father," Coxe said in a statement. "Huge fan of this town. He will move on and do fine."
Smith was arrested in April 2020 on a charge of unlawful sexual activities with certain minors, which is a second-degree felony and is defined as a person 24 years of age or older engaging in sexual activity with a person who is 16 or 17 years old. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Police: Telvin Smith allegedly had multiple encounters with girl
Per, News4Jax, the arrest warrant alleged Smith met the teenage girl on Aug. 27, 2019, when Smith was 28 years old. The alleged victim reportedly told him she was underage, but the two still began talking over the phone and social media, then met four days later, when the warrant alleged they had sex at Smith's home.
Smith allegedly insisted on giving the girl $100 and told her to tell anyone with concerns about their relationship that he was serving as a "mentor." The girl reportedly told police that she called a relative on the way home and mentioned what happened.
The pair allegedly met one more time several days later at a mall and had sex in Smith's SUV in a parking lot.
Smith walked away from football before alleged relationship
As recently as three years ago, Smith was starring as the leading tackler of an intimidating Jaguars defense. He posted 134 tackles, four for loss, with two interceptions and a sack in the 2018 season, one year after signing a four-year, $45 million contract.
The next year, Smith announced he would sit out the 2019 season, saying he had to "get my world in order" in an Instagram post. The announcement apparently took the Jaguars by surprise, as the team said it still wanted to talk to him.
From Jaguars Telvin Smith’s Instagram account. I’m told it is in fact his account. It states he will not play football this season. pic.twitter.com/JXaroE0tOF
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) May 9, 2019
Smith allegedly began his relationship with the teenager three months later.
The way Smith went about the hiatus led to him racking up tens of thousands of dollars in fines, but the situation became truly bizarre when a SWAT team raided his Florida home. It's unclear if that raid had anything to do with his current legal situation.
Smith, a fifth-round pick out of Florida State in 2014, has not appeared on an NFL field since taking his hiatus, and it's hard to see him returning at this point.
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