CHAT ROOM || News & Features || 1996 Schedule || Super Bowl Photos

Judge Says Community Service Sentence Will Introduce Irvin to Hard Work

DALLAS (AP) - A judge says the 800 hours of community service that Michael Irvin has been ordered to do as part of a plea bargain may give him a taste of what hard work is really like.

Irvin pleaded no contest on Monday to a second-degree felony cocaine possession charge and was sentenced to four years of deferred adjudication probation, fined $10,000 and ordered to perform the equivalent of twenty 40-hour weeks of community service.

State District Judge Manny Alvarez ordered that the first third of that be performed in menial labor like house painting or picking up litter along highways.

Another Dallas judge, State District Judge John Creuzot, said:

"Michael's lived in a cocoon ever since he was a high school football player. People in that situation tend to lose sight of what hard work - other than lifting weights and running fast - is all about.
"For someone like him, this can be both humbling and beneficial at the same time."

Julie Thomas, executive director of the Volunteer Center of Dallas County, said the 800-hour assignment "is enormous. My general sense after working with the program for several years is that it's a major statement."

Most probationers on second-degree felonies are ordered to perform 150 to 200 hours of community service.

The volunteer center works with almost 1,000 local agencies, about 450 of which have agreed to accept court-ordered volunteers. Jobs range from menial maintenance such as pulling weeds and cleaning out horse barns to skilled tasks like computer programming.

"I think it's important for people to realize that under no circumstances will he be going into an agency setting where he could be viewed as a role model," Ms. Thomas said.

"He's a very gifted athlete and it would be wonderful if we could do that, but considering the circumstances, we won't be," she said.