JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Former Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith has pleaded not guilty to charges of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors, per Duval County court records.
Smith entered the plea in writing via his attorney.
Smith has a May 20 court date, according to records. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
He was arrested April 29 by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at his home after a six-month investigation. Per Florida Statute 794.05, the charge of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors is a second-degree felony and applies to any person 24 or older who engages in sexual activity with a person 16 or 17 years old.
ESPN obtained a copy of the arrest warrant, and in it, Smith is accused of having sex with a 17-year-old girl multiple times, both at his home and in his vehicle, last August and September. The victim told Smith the day they first met she had recently turned 17 and a witness corroborated that, per the report.
The warrant also states that Smith offered the victim $200 while driving her back to her car after their first sexual encounter, and that he told the victim not to tell anyone about the encounter because he could go to jail. The victim eventually accepted $100 from Smith, who also asked the victim to say he was her “mentor” if anyone asked about them meeting, per the warrant.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens re-signed Pernell McPhee to a one-year contract Tuesday, adding the veteran outside linebacker after not addressing edge rusher in the NFL draft.
McPhee, 31, will compete for playing time at the Ravens’ rush linebacker position with Jaylon Ferguson and Jihad Ward.
He was having a resurgent season in his return to Baltimore last season before missing the final nine games with torn triceps. He was a physical presence along the line of scrimmage, recording 19 tackles and three sacks (second most on the team at the time) in the first six games.
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“He wanted to prove himself. He wanted to get back on track and demonstrate that he still could play,” coach John Harbaugh said when McPhee was placed on injured reserve. “I see no reason why he can’t recover from the triceps injury and be back next year stronger than ever.”
A fifth-round pick by Baltimore in 2011, McPhee reunited with the Ravens after spending four mostly forgettable seasons with the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins. He provided leadership for a defense that lost Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley and Eric Weddle.
Durability has been a major issue with McPhee, who hasn’t played a full season since 2014. In his past five seasons, McPhee has missed more games (24) than sacks recorded (17), primarily because of problems with his knees.
With McPhee sidelined, Ferguson held his own last season with 31 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Don Shula, the NFL’s winningest coach who led the Miami Dolphins to the league’s only undefeated season, died on Monday. He was 90.
The Dolphins issued a statement saying that Shula died “peacefully at his home.”
“Don Shula was the patriarch of the Miami Dolphins for 50 years,” the statement said. “He brought the winning edge to our franchise and put the Dolphins and the city of Miami in the national sports scene. Our deepest thoughts and prayers go out to Mary Anne along with his children Dave, Donna, Sharon, Anne and Mike.”
Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Ready to seize his chance: Becoming a starting quarterback in the NFL is hard enough. Filling the void created by Tom Brady’s free-agent departure makes it that much harder.
Jarrett Stidham is the leading candidate to fill that role, and his former coach, Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, believes he has the makeup to succeed.
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2. Transitioning to post-Brady life: Patriots defensive tackle
Coe — “He can play inside. He can play outside. He can play off the ball. He’s an athletic dude. Strong. He’s probably as talented out of anybody that came out of this draft; he has to be up there. He had a few things this year that I really think he’ll overcome and grow and all that. He could be one of those diamond-in-the-rough type of players.”
Hastings — “He was a walk-on kicker, an onside kick specialist. I think he went 0-for-2 when he got here, and so in the spring, we needed some receivers. I knew his high school coach — Will had played receiver there — and it took probably just a couple practices to figure out, ‘Hey, he may be able to help us.’ The first year, his first game right off the bat against Clemson, he played real well. He owns the school record in the 5-10-5 in the ‘L’ drill (aka three-cone drill). He’s unbelievably quick, and as good a double-move guy as I’ve ever seen. He can get open on those option routes. That’s a real good fit for him with that [Patriots] system.”
6. Could Thomas be this year’s Jackson?: Cornerback
Patriots 2010s All-Decade Team: pic.twitter.com/t89ZYqOpo5
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) April 29, 2020
9. Parcells, Seymour and Vrabel down to the wire: This is the final week for fans to vote on the one inductee for the Patriots Hall of Fame, and all three finalists are deserving — Bill Parcells, Richard Seymour and Mike Vrabel. These were the three finalists on my ballot. Throughout the process, I’ve been struck by the lack of public buzz for Seymour, who was one of the franchise’s most talented players. Belichick wrote a letter supporting Seymour’s candidacy for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he has been in the final 10 the past two years, which should only strengthen Seymour’s chances to earn a red jacket in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
10. Schedule release: Barring a change, the NFL expects to release its 2020 regular-season schedule by May 9, and everyone will be crossing their fingers that a full season actually takes place. The first thing I’ll be looking for with the Patriots’ slate is if any of their long-distance road games are stacked back-to-back — similar to 2008 and 2014 when they stayed on the West Coast between games. Players cited the team-bonding aspect of those weeks.
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2020 road opponents: Chargers, Chiefs, Rams, Seahawks, Texans, Bills, Dolphins, Jets
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2020 home opponents: 49ers, Cardinals, Broncos, Raiders, Ravens, Bills, Dolphins, Jets