American sports figure accused of sexual abuse of a teenage girl and later found not guilty of all charges. An American football tight end, who played his entire career with the Green Bay Packers (1992–1999), he won Super Bowl XXXI with the Packers against his hometown team, the New England Patriots.
The trial of Green Bay Packers tight end Mark Chmura began on 25 January 2001 with his defense attorney arguing that the teenager accusing his client of sexual assault hated Chmura and lied about the incident. The girl, now 18, has accused Chmura, 31, of leading her into the bathroom during a post-prom drinking party at a friend’s home in April 2000 and having sex with her without her consent. Defense attorney Gerald Boyle said the girl, who baby-sat Chmura’s children, told different versions of what happened. “She wasn’t a normal baby sitter,” Boyle said, “She told her friends about her hatred of Chmura.”
The first witness, a friend of the baby sitter, said the girl described having sex against her will with Chmura. “She said it was not consensual in any way. She said it hurt,” the 18-year-old friend testified. The same witness testified Friday that Chmura used to make suggestive comments to the girl while she babysat for him. “She told me that when she baby-sat for him he had made comments about her being ‘jail bait’. ”
Chmura, 6′ 6″, 225 lb., is a three-time Pro Bowl selection and appeared in two Super Bowls with Green Bay. The Packers cut him in June after he was arrested. He has pleaded innocent to third-degree sexual assault and child enticement, both felonies. If convicted, he could get up to 40 years in prison and $20,000 in fines. With an outstanding show of bad judgment, Chmura had put himself in the predicament by getting drunk with teenage kids and frolicking the hot tub in his underwear.
The trial concluded on 3 February 2001 with Chmura’s acquittal on sexual assault charges. The jury took 2 hrs 15 min. “The evidence clearly indicates there was sexual contact,” the prosecutor said, “The real issue became if it was consensual or not…. the jury found that we were unable to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Chmura said that he’s ready to get back out there and play the field. The following day he broke down in tears as he apologized for his conduct and expressed his desire to resume his NFL career. He said, “This has opened my eyes up to a lot of things. I disappointed a lot of people. And for that I am truly sorry … I’m a role model and I let a lot of people down.”
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