Chad Johnson — the former NFL wide receiver once known as Chad Ochocinco — ended up in Fort Lauderdale court Monday after he violated his probation in a domestic abuse case. (Last year he was placed on probation after pleading no contest to charges of head-butting his then-wife Evelyn Lozada.)
The judge, Kathleen McHugh, was this close to granting him a plea deal that involved community service and counseling, but no jail time. So in other words, good news. Good news that prompted Johnson to give his attorney a light slap on the butt (as jocks often do.) Though the slap isn’t visible in the video above, it’s certainly audible. Muffled chuckles spread through the courtroom, but one person who was certainly not amused was the judge. “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?” McHugh said. “The whole courtroom was laughing. I’m not going to accept these plea negotiations. This isn’t a joke.”
Johnson tried to apologize, but McHugh remained steadfast. She ended up handing down a 30-day jail sentence and a three-month probation extension. Soon enough, Johnson was placed in cuffs and escorted to jail.
Let this be a lesson to us all.
Chad Johnson — the former NFL wide receiver once known as Chad Ochocinco — ended up in Fort Lauderdale court Monday after he violated his probation in a domestic abuse case. (Last year he was placed on probation after pleading no contest to charges of head-butting his then-wife Evelyn Lozada.)
The judge, Kathleen McHugh, was this close to granting him a plea deal that involved community service and counseling, but no jail time. So in other words, good news. Good news that prompted Johnson to give his attorney a light slap on the butt (as jocks often do.) Though the slap isn’t visible in the video above, it’s certainly audible. Muffled chuckles spread through the courtroom, but one person who was certainly not amused was the judge. “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?” McHugh said. “The whole courtroom was laughing. I’m not going to accept these plea negotiations. This isn’t a joke.”
Johnson tried to apologize, but McHugh remained steadfast. She ended up handing down a 30-day jail sentence and a three-month probation extension. Soon enough, Johnson was placed in cuffs and escorted to jail.
Let this be a lesson to us all.