Jackson Mahomes isn’t quite off the hook yet. Now his fate is in his own hands | Opinion
Jackson Mahomes’ legal saga is over. At least for now. And let me tell you, the younger brother of Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, should count his lucky stars Johnson County judge Thomas Sutherland accepted his no contest plea on a misdemeanor battery charge. Otherwise, the younger Mahomes might have found himself behind bars.
Legally, Jackson is not off the hook yet. He must stay clear of trouble for the next six months to avoid jail time. He faced much more serious allegations connected to this case but was fortunate those charges were dropped earlier this year like a slick football on a cold, rainy day in November.
In legal parlance, a no contest plea means a defendant accepts a court’s conviction without admitting guilt. On Thursday, Jackson did just that via videoconference and was placed on unsupervised probation for six months, according to The Star.
The next day, I reached out to Brandan Davies, Mahomes’ defense attorney. In a text message exchange, Davies, citing attorney-client privilege, declined to comment on details of conversations that led to the plea deal. I can’t blame Davies for being reluctant to speak to me. He had a job to do and obviously, the Mahomes family is happy with the results.
“Jackson is thankful for the support of his family and friends during the last year,” Davies wrote. “Jackson pled no contest to a single count of simple battery and he was given six months of unsupervised probation. Jackson simply wanted the case to be over with and to move on with his life. The matter is now closed and we will not be issuing any further statements.”
Jackson, 23, is a social media influencer with a following that reportedly spans millions on various platforms, including TikTok. According to his mother, Randi Mahomes, Jackson is the first of three siblings to graduate college and recently completed his one-year anniversary working at an unnamed credit union. Who knew? It wouldn’t be a stretch to assume Jackson lived off the coattails of his more famous brother. Guess those of us that thought so were as wrong as two left feet on a dance floor.
I’ve long held that Jackson’s immature antics could land him in serious trouble. He once threw water on a heckling fan after a Chiefs game in Baltimore. He danced on a memorial dedicated to a slain football player, and was refused service at a Kansas City cocktail bar for being rude to staff, according to management.
To be honest, I’ve written about this young man far too many times and for all the wrong reasons. He should use this time to reflect, grow and distance himself from the spotlight he seems to crave.
Last year, the owner of a now-closed Overland Park restaurant accused Jackson of grabbing her by the neck and forcibly kissing her three times inside the restaurant, the woman told The Star. I watched a video of the alleged incident, and wrote then that Jackson should face serious legal consequences if these allegations were proven true. They weren’t, but he still faced a battery charge related to the incident. This week, an accusation that he showed a 19-year-old waitress that night was resolved in court.
In January, nearly a year after Jackson was accused of sexual battery, three felony charges against him were dismissed because the alleged victim refused to cooperate with the Johnson County district attorney’s office. Citing harassment and threats, the woman told investigators she would invoke her Fifth Amendment right to remain silent if forced to testify against Mahomes, The Star reported. He was fortunate to avoid legal ramifications in that case.
Earlier this week, The Star’s Lisa Gutierrez broke down Randi Mahomes’ appearance on a podcast titled “Got It From My Momma.” In the wide-ranging interview with the host, Randi Mahomes called the sexual battery allegations against Jackson false, Gutierrez reported. Until I know more about that case, I’ll refrain from commenting on the validity of those claims.
“We were blessed that it all got dropped because of the situation was for no reason,” Randi Mahomes said.
Blessings is the word. Going forward, Jackson Mahomes shouldn’t take a single one of them for granted. He must use this time to reflect on his behavior and come out on the other side a better person.
This story was originally published March 9, 2024 at 5:05 AM.
