New York Jets defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis will report to Hampton, Va., on Friday to serve a 45-day jail sentence as part of a plea agreement to a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery.
The sentence stems from a campus fight when Ellis was a student at Hampton in 2010. Initially the charge was malicious wounding, a felony.
Jets coach Rex Ryan said he’d spoken to Ellis about the upcoming jail term, and noted that, “There’s people who have gone through similar things.”
At his locker on the final day of minicamp, the 6-foot-4, 346-pound defensive tackle nervously deflected any questions about the sentence, saying he wouldn’t answer any non-football questions. When asked twice if is he expected to miss any days of training camp, Ellis responded:
“Training camp is coming up. It’s going to be good.”
A 45-day sentence would end on July 30. Ellis could likely spend his entire break in jail and then could be expected to go through reps at training camp the day after his release.
Ryan said he thinks Ellis can make it through his incarceration without his conditioning suffering too much.
“Yes, I do,” Ryan said. “I think he’s a strong man and I know one thing: He’s looking forward to this season. He’s put so much into the offseason. Here’s a guy who couldn’t do a pull-up; now he’s doing sets of pull-ups with an extra 35 pounds tied on him.”
Asked if he thought he’d be able to keep up with his training, Ellis stayed very general.
“Conditioning is a major part of playing in the NFL,” Ellis said.
Ellis also will serve two years of probation.
If found guilty of the initial felony charge, there was the possibility that Ellis, born in Jamaica, could be deported. When the Jets drafted him in the third round in 2010, they were aware of his legal situation.
WRITTEN BY Jane McManus | ESPNNewYork.com & FULL STORY HERE
