Jets running back Mike Goodson’s current legal entanglement has been exacerbated by a history of past, unrelated legal entanglements. Specifically, the man who faces recent gun and drug charges previously has been sued for paternity, child support, unpaid rent, and unpaid jewelry.
Goodson’s lawyer doesn’t dispute those facts. He just doesn’t see the connection between past lawsuits and the player’s current predicament.
“Mike is not denying that,” Tony Fusco tells the New York Daily News. “I don’t see the relevance of that.
“We’ve had a President who had an affair in the White House. We’ve had a congressman who took pictures of himself and now he’s running for mayor,” Fusco said, referring to the most appropriately named scandal-dogged politician, Anthony Weiner (pictured). “The only thing that Mike is running for, is for touchdowns. He’s not running for President or Congress. He’s playing football, he wants to run, and run for his team.”
Goodson “absolutely denies” the gun charge, which carries far more serious potential penalties than the marijuana charges.
Goodson reportedly intends to return to practice this week; Fusco has said the team and league kept Goodson away from practice in the days after the latest incident.
The Jets have opted to allow the legal process to unfold, in part because they need to keep him on the roster in order to have a chance at recovering all or part of his $1 million signing bonus. If he’s cut, Goodson has no obligation to pay any of it back.