Green Bay Packers wide receiver Koren Robinson entered an Alford plea in Minnesota today on a felony charge of fleeing police. Robinson was arrested last August while he was in the Minnesota Vikings training camp.
The Alford plea means Robinson doesn't admit guilt but acknolwedges the evidence could result in a jury finding him guilty.
In exchange for the plea, lesser charges of drunken driving, reckless driving, and driving without a license were dropped, according to an Associated Press report. Robinson still faces up to three years in prison on the felony charge.
Robinson also agreed not to fight the forfeiture of the leased BMW 760 sedan he drove Aug. 15, when police chased him from St. Peter to Mankato at speeds that officers said sometimes exceeded 100 mph. The car will be turned back to the leaseholder. Robinson was rushing to get back to training camp before curfew.
Robinson apologized during his plea hearing Monday and said he didn’t know he was being chased until the pursuit ended.
"I was coming back from Minneapolis, trying to get to training camp," Robinson said. "It was a bad decision on my part. I was trying to get back to camp grounds to avoid the fine I was going to get for being late."
Robinson acknowledged in court that police testimony and video from a squad car could lead a jury to find him guilty.
While the felony count carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine, Robinson’s attorney, Joe Tamburino, said he will ask the judge for a gross misdemeanor sentence, which would mean a maximum of a year in jail and a $3,000 fine. Prosecutor Paul Tanis agreed to remain silent on that issue during sentencing.
"The bottom line is it’s totally up to the judge," Tamburino said Tuesday.
Robinson’s sentencing was scheduled for Feb. 20. Tamburino had asked that it be before Feb. 28, when Robinson is due to begin a 90-day sentence in Green Bay, Wis. That jail term was ordered because the Minnesota chase violated conditions of Robinson’s probation from a separate drunken-driving case in Kirkland, Wash., last year.
After he signed with Green Bay, the NFL suspended Robinson for one year for violating its substance-abuse policy.
Robinson played in four games for the Packers, making seven catches for 89 yards.