Jolly for Jolly

Johnny Jolly granted release after six months of six-year sentence


Posted by Michael David Smith on May 15, 2012, 3:35 PM EDT
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] AP
A Texas judge has granted former Packers defensive lineman Johnny Jolly [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], just six months into a six-year prison sentence.

The judge gave Jolly what is known as “shock probation,” which is granted when an offender convinces a judge that he was shocked into turning his life around by spending a short period of time in prison. Jolly will remain on probation for 10 years and will have to serve 200 hours of community service.

Jolly was arrested four times for illegal possession of codeine, and he has said that he battled an addiction to codeine since high school. He and his lawyer have also argued that he is merely an addict who has never hurt anyone other than himself, and that he doesn’t belong in prison with dangerous criminals. The judge evidently agreed.

The 29-year-old Jolly, who started every game for the Packers in the 2008 and 2009 seasons, has been indefinitely suspended from the NFL since 2010.

Good! Now reinstate his ass and get him ready for camp! The team structure is just what Jolly needs right now and God knows how bady that D line needs him. Move on it you fucks!

I like the additions we've already made to the DL... but you can't ever have too many quality players in that position.

Getting Jolly back in the mix would be fantastic!

At the very least I'm glad the poor guy is out of prison. He's an addict not a criminal.

duck wrote:I like the additions we've already made to the DL... but you can't ever have too many quality players in that position.

Getting Jolly back in the mix would be fantastic!

At the very least I'm glad the poor guy is out of prison. He's an addict not a criminal.

The draft acquistions are prospects at this point, Duck--nothing more... Jolly was, at least, a player...

Handled astutely from a PR perspective, both Goodell and TT could come out looking very very good by giving Johnny Jolly a chance to clear his demons...

Point duly noted. There is a huge difference between a draft pick and a proven player. That's why, given the glaring need on the Packers, it can't hurt to throw as many bodies as possible into the competition for DL spots.

Regarding the PR value of Jolly's redemption, I happen to agree with you, it could potentially be a win-win proposition for both the player and the league. However, it would be a tricky maneuver, like cleaning a blowfish for sushi. The NFL wants to distance itself from the violence and the "bad boy" image (even though only a fool can't see both will always be to some extent part of the football culture), and they might be reticent to appear "soft" on a so-called criminal.

The Aunt Millies are going to wring their hands no matter what, but I think with an understated PR message with lots of references to "rehabilitation", "redemption", "model prisoner", "valued teammate", etc. etc. -- most sensible people would nod in approval.