A slap on the behind in a court room has landed former NFL-er Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson in jail, a move that shocked former Saskatchewan Roughrider Mike Abou-Mechrek.
“I’m hot on this,” he said. “It’s absolutely absurd.”
“Butt slaps” are common sight on football fields and ball diamonds, but many say Johnson’s actions in the courtroom were inappropriate.
On Monday, after reaching a deal with prosecutors in a domestic violence case that called for community service and counseling instead of jail time, Johnson slapped the behind of his attorney. The move did not sit well with the judge, Kathleen McHugh.
“This isn’t a joke”, she said. “I’m not accepting these plea negotiations.”
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Johnson told her he did not do it as a joke, but he will now spend 30 days in jail.
Abou-Mechrek knows the judge thought it was a disrespect towards the court, but he personally does not feel like there is anything wrong with what Johnson did.
“The relationship that Chad had with his lawyer was one like that,” he said. “(I was) at the Weyburn Oil Show last week and that’s how I said goodbye to the guys.”
A playful slap on the behind is a common sight on a football field, but that is not to say every athlete does it.
“I’ve probably talked about this more in this interview than I have in 30 years of coaching,” said University of Regina Rams football coach Frank McCrystal.
The long-time coach says he does not remember butt slaps ever being a part of his team’s culture.
“It’s the fist pump and those types of things that they’re doing now, which I think is probably a little cooler than the butt slap,” he said.
There are some places where pats on the rear are acceptable, but there are many situations where they are inappropriate and could even lead to charges.
“It will be investigated at every level,” said Regina police spokesperson Elizabeth Popowich. “Even police will take that complaint and investigate it. If there’s evidence to support a criminal charge like common assault, then that’s where we would go.”
It was a charge of assault that landed Johnson in court in the first place, but he probably learned a slap on the behind maybe should have stayed on the field.
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