Green Bay Packers defensive end Johnny Jolly will go on trial in Harris County, Texas, May 21 on charges of codeine possession.
Jolly, 26, a Houston native, was arrested there in July 2008 for possession of at least 200 grams when police said they found cups of codeine syrup in his car.
If convicted, Jolly faces up 20 years in prison but could get probation because he has no significant criminal record.
The case has gone through several delays. A grand jury initially indicted Jolly on Oct. 1, 2008, but those charges were dropped nine months later to allow police to more accurately measure the amount of codeine taken as evidence.
The charge was reissued, and the trial date was set this week.
The Packers have declined to comment on the ongoing legal matter.
I’m sure Jolly’s not too stressed about his latest legal battle. This is, after all, the same guy who declared he was the chosen one after being re-indicted on the drug charges late last year.
“Man I don’t worry about nothing,” Jolly said. “I’ve got God on my side. I can’t trust The Man, but as long as I’ve got God, I don’t have nothing to worry about.
I know some here at Total Packers are fans of Jolly, both on and off the field, but I am not one of them. He’s an OK defensive end, but the guy is constantly getting himself into trouble and actually gave the Minnesota Vikings some much-needed momentum in the teams’ first meeting last season at Lambeau Field. Remember that gem?
Jolly gave the Vikings a fresh set of downs in the first quarter after being flagged for head butting Vikings running back Chester Taylor. The Packers had stuffed Taylor for a loss on third-and-5 from the Packers’ nine. Minnesota used those downs to score their first touchdown, and the senseless penalty helped set the tone for the rest of the game.
Jolly didn’t seem too remorseful after the contest, which the Packers LOST in case I have to remind you.
“I’m playing on the edge, playing with one every game,” Jolly said. “They made the call. It was a call they could have called either way. It is what it is.”
“I play like that every game. It ain’t going to change from here. The next game I’m going to be out there playing hard. It is what it is. That didn’t (cost us) the game. That’s it.”
It was that same “who gives a fuck attitude” that came to personify the Green Bay Packers’ locker room early in the season last year, when coach Mike McCarthy wasn’t holding players accountable for their mistakes and everyone was pointing fingers at everyone else.
Such a laissez faire locker room could have kept the Packers on the same route to mediocrity they were following at the midpoint of last season. Fortunately, the team managed to turn things around and made a run in the playoffs.
The point, though, is this. I personally think this team is better off WITHOUT louts like Johnny Jolly costing Green Bay games with penalties and taking the team’s focus off football with his continued legal troubles. Sure, he can smack back an offensive lineman with the best of them, but he has a piss poor attitude and homeboy ain’t getting any younger.
Here’s hoping Jolly gets what he deserves in this case and finds himself behind bars long enough to keep him out of Green Bay this upcoming season. The Packers can do much better.
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Ok…like who for example? We can do better? Give some examples, please.
You wrote a good article with fine arguments, but then you negated it all up by saying you hope that Jolly ends up in jail.
What kind of Packer fan are you? Who wishes any Packer player serve time?
Any credibility you had just went right out the window.