Who said June is a slow month?
On Monday alone, our stories featured T.O. calling me the devil, Tim Tebow getting hired by Bill Belichick, Adam “Pacman” Jones getting arrested for something that he claimed he did in self-defense but that the surveillance video suggests was retaliation, and Chad Johnson getting thrown in jail because he gave his lawyer a quick slap on the butt.
As to the last -- and arguably most humorous -- event of the day, the video is available. It appears that the judge overreacted to Johnson’s loose and playful nature. Her concern was that he wasn’t taking the situation seriously, but Chad’s decision to give his lawyer a pat on the behind doesn’t mean Johnson thought it was all a joke.
Sure, some in the courtroom laughed after Johnson did it. If they hadn’t, the judge may not have even realized what happened.
I’ve been in court enough times (not as the defendant . . . yet) to know that judges can flash anger suddenly and unpredictably. Usually, they get over it -- and then they often feel bad about it.
In this case, the judge could wake up this morning and realize that 30 days in jail is too harsh of a punishment for what Johnson did. The message has been sent, Johnson has spent the night behind bars, and now he should be released.
Yes, he should be released. Though Chad has only himself to blame, the punishment far outweighs whatever crime he committed.