ESPN Personality Jay Mariotti has entered a plea of "no contest" in the domestic violence case involving the ESPN Around The Horn star and his now-ex-girlfriend.
If you recall, Mariotti, the former Chicago Sun Times and AOL Fanhouse columnist, was said to have engaged in an argument with his girlfriend because Jay was jealous she was flirting with another man at a Santa Monica, California nightclub.
The argument continued to her home in Venice, California, where Mariotti was reported to have been seen pushing her and throwing items around in her apartment.
Mariotti was charged with a whopping seven misdemeanors, including alleged theft of his girlfriend's purse.
Jay Slammed Online
The report of Jay Mariotti's legal problem hit the Internet August 21st, leading to a stream of blogs and tweets critical of the ESPN personality's behavior, since Jay was so harsh on athletes when they were charged with the same crime. AOL dropped him from Fanhouse and their were rumors that ESPN wasn't going to hire him or renew his contract.
ESPN has not as of this writing given a definitive statement on Jay's future with the organization, only stating they have "no plans" to use him "at this time." But that was weeks ago.
According to The LA Times, Mariotti's releaved to get on with his life. In a deal with he Los Angeles city attorney's office, Los Angeles County Court Commissioner John Green was said to have agreed to drop all of the other charges except the domestic violence charge. Jay is on three years probation, has to complete 40-days of community labor (stuff like sweeping the streets or picking up trash at a public park), stay away from the victim, and complete a 52-week domestic violence course.
The best thing for Jay is he avoids jail time, but what did he learn? Was alcohol involved? It would seem it was. What was the real story?
Jay Paints A Different Picture
Mariotti claims that he was just trying to help his female companion get home safely. His lawyer Nick Hanna said "Jay regrets having put himself in a position to have a public argument with his female companion, and was simply attempting to get her home safely. While he is deeply saddened by how this was portrayed, he is wiser for having lived through it."
The one problem with Hanna's statement is that LA Police claim they found cuts and bruises on her.
Jay's Future
Will Jay come back to ESPN's Around The Horn? What will his future be? That remains to be seen.
Stay tuned.
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