Ex-Clemson football player pleads guilty in robbery of former teammate’s home
Former Clemson football player Jadar Johnson pleaded guilty to the robbery of a former teammate’s off-campus apartment and was sentenced to probation, according to court records and his attorney.
Johnson pleaded guilty last week to a charge of common law robbery, after a judge dismissed the armed robbery and weapon charges, according to his attorney, Bakari Sellers. Johnson faced up to 30 years in prison on the armed robbery charge and 10 years on the weapon charge.
The judge sentenced Johnson under the state’s Youthful Offender Act, a sentencing alternative that seeks to rehabilitate young offenders convicted of certain offenses. Johnson’s six-year prison sentence was suspended to three years probation, meaning if Johnson violates the terms of his probation in the next three years, he could get sent to prison for up to six years.
“We want to thank the solicitor’s office for working with us to bring this to a resolution. Jadar has worked diligently on all his mental health issues over the tendency of this case,” Sellers told The State on Tuesday. “Jadar made a mistake, and he doesn’t dispute that. He’s embarrassed and apologetic.”
Along with Johnson, former Clemson running back C.J. Fuller and former Duke defensive lineman Quaven Ferguson also were charged in the robbery that occurred last March at a downtown Clemson apartment. The three were accused of robbing a former Tigers teammate while the player was at practice.
Included in Johnson’s probation is 200 hours of public service employment, nine months of home detention, random drug and alcohol testing and mental health counseling, Pickens County online court records show. He is allowed to travel for work with prior approval and no positive drug screens.
Sellers noted that Johnson had no prior criminal record before the incident, and said if Johnson stays out of trouble and completes his probation, he won’t have one after.
Ferguson pleaded guilty to common law robbery the same day as Johnson and received a similar sentence, court records show. Fuller died in October from complications arising from leg surgery.
Johnson was named first-team All-ACC in 2016 and was a team captain for Clemson as he helped the Tigers to their first national title since 1981.
The Orangeburg native recorded 65 tackles and had five interceptions while starting all 15 games for Clemson.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published February 26, 2019 at 10:11 AM.
