JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Former Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith has pleaded no contest after being charged with having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl.
The 30-year-old pleaded ‘nolo contendre’ to a charge of third-degree child abuse in Duval County court Friday afternoon, alongside his attorney, Hank Coxe.
As part of the plea agreement with the State Attorney’s Office, Smith will be on probation for three years, although one year was waived due to the time he was out on bond after his arrest.
As part of his probation, he will have to undergo psychosexual counseling and have no contact with the listed victim, who has only been identified by her initials of “NW.”
Smith also must have no contact with females under the age of 18 outside of his immediate family unless that’s been approved by the probation office.
“Mr. Smith, treat your probation seriously,” said Judge Mark Borello.
News4Jax first learned of the allegations when the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office searched his $1.5 million Queen’s Harbour home in November of 2019. The SWAT team was used to enter the house.
Police arrested Smith in April of 2020 on the charge of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors. He posted a $50,000 bond later that evening.
Smith and the teenage girl first met Aug. 27, 2019, at the victim’s workplace, according to Smith’s arrest warrant, and she told him she was underage. The two began talking over the phone and social media, the warrant said.
Four days later, the pair agreed to meet at a shopping center on the Southside, the warrant stated. The teen told police she got into Smith’s Cadillac Escalade and they drove to his home.
At some point that night, the victim told police, the pair had sex in Smith’s home movie theater and his bedroom. Then, she said, Smith gave her a ride to the lot where she parked her car.
It was then that Smith offered the girl $200, which she turned down, according to the warrant. She told police she was pressured to take the money and relented when she accepted $100.
“Smith told Victim not to tell anyone about this incident as he could go to jail,” the warrant states. “Smith told Victim that if anyone raised concerns about them speaking, to say that Smith was serving as a ‘mentor’ to her.”
On her way home, the teen told police, she called a relative and mentioned what happened. She said she asked about getting birth control.
Several days later, she told police, the two met again — this time at an area mall — and then had sex in Smith’s SUV in a nearby parking lot.
In Florida, sexual relations between anyone between the ages of 16 and 17 and someone older than 24 is a second-degree felony.
Smith, a fifth-round draft pick from Florida State in 2014 and a Pro Bowl selection in 2017, announced last April that he was stepping away from football to “get my world in order.”
The Jaguars fined Smith more than $88,000 for missing the team’s mandatory, three-day minicamp in June. Smith avoided future fines by filing retirement paperwork with the NFL before training camp.
Jacksonville placed him on the league’s reserve/retired list, which paused his contract and freed up a roster spot as well as $9.75 million in salary cap space in 2019. It also protected Smith from fines and NFL testing policies.
Smith has three years remaining on his current deal, which averages $10 million annually in base salary.