Jonathan Hefney Arrested For Trafficking

[Noeller]

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/south-carolina/article235467402.html

[WBBFanWest]

He wasn't arrested, he was convicted.  9 years...

 

[Bigblue204]

That sucks.

[Noeller]

He was in a really bad way, both financially and physically, when an injury ended his career......it's a real shame.

Edited September 25, 2019 by Noeller

[17to85]

was gonna say didn't have some health issues? I think they made a documentary about this. guy needs healthcare turns to a life of crime in the drug trade....

[MOBomberFan]

I'm terribly sad for the guy. Hefney was my favorite Bomber while he was here. No priors. Gave back to the community. This is him in 2018 after an expensive and painful surgery to the shoulder he destroyed in 2015 (while entertaining us). He was finally regaining grip strength and feeling in his fingers 3 years after the injury.

The CFL covered his expenses for 12 obligatory months then cut him off. I believe there was a grassroots fundraising effort in the CFL community that helped raise money for his surgeries. It's a crying shame this is where he ended up.

Edited September 25, 2019 by MOBomberFan
added a word

[SpeedFlex27]

For Hefney, the CFL & the Bombers let him down. Shame on the CFL & Randy Ambrosie for letting him down. The league talks about player safety but then refuses to take care of one of its own & this happens. 

[Brandon]

14 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

For Hefney, the CFL & the Bombers let him down. Shame on the CFL & Randy Ambrosie for letting him down. The league talks about player safety but then refuses to take care of one of its own & this happens. 

Who going to pay for all the medical bills for all the players?  This isn't the NFL which has billions of dollars available.

[SpeedFlex27]

1 minute ago, Brandon said:

Who going to pay for all the medical bills for all the players?  This isn't the NFL which has billions of dollars available.

That's the league's problem. Figure something out to help these guys who suffer devastating injuries. Pay for their physio & prescription drugs. Do the right thing. 

[Mark H.]

20 minutes ago, Brandon said:

Who going to pay for all the medical bills for all the players?  This isn't the NFL which has billions of dollars available.

Step 1 would be to have medical insurance in place for American players.  

[SpeedFlex27]

How expensive would Workers Comp be for CFL teams? Of course, it's more difficult when dealing with someone who lives off season in Florida. 

[WBBFanWest]

23 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

That's the league's problem. Figure something out to help these guys who suffer devastating injuries. Pay for their physio & prescription drugs. Do the right thing. 

Maybe the issue shouldn't be having to have the CFL pay.  Maybe the issue is living in the only country in the Western world that does not have universal health care.

[Mark F]

The American for profit health care system stinks.

For what it's going to cost them to incarcerate this guy, they could have paid for his health care and then some.

But someone will probably be making a lot of money in their for profit prison system off of this.

puke.

Edited September 26, 2019 by Mark F

[J5V]

3 hours ago, WBBFanWest said:

He wasn't arrested, he was convicted.  9 years...

9 years for trafficking cocaine? Good grief!

[Super Duper Negatron]

1. That penalty seems insane. Trafficking drugs is bad obviously, but come on.

2. I donated to Hefney's GoFundMe last year. I feel horrible that it wasn't enough. The guy was obviously desperate enough that he felt he had no choice.

I don't know much about him as a person, obviously, but he was always a class act when it came to the Bombers and it sucks that this is how it all ended up.

[Super Duper Negatron]

Just read that 9 years was after a guilty plea, rather than facing 25 years if convicted at trial! Sweet **** is that insane. Drug laws are barbaric.

Edited September 26, 2019 by Super Duper Negatron

[WBBFanWest]

 

whoops!

Edited September 26, 2019 by WBBFanWest
Ninja'ed by SDN...

[Albertabomberguy]

8 minutes ago, Super Duper Negatron said:

Just read that 9 years was after a guilty plea, rather facing 25 years if convicted at trial! Sweet **** is that insane. Drug laws are barbaric.

The American justice system really hammers on criminals more than the Canadian system.  Depending on how much he had on him, he would have maybe received a 2-3 year sentence in Canada....or possibly even far less than that.  We have guys who commit some crazy murders(manslaughter) in Canada who get 1/3 of the time that Heffney got!

Edited September 26, 2019 by Albertabomberguy

[Brandon]

Ya know he wasn't forced into a life of crime,  other people have managed to pay off medical bills doing honest work.  You'd think playing in the NFL and CFL that he would of saved a nice healthy chunk of money over the years.   

I don't know why anyone would make it seem like he was a victim.   

[Bomber_fanaddict]

47 minutes ago, Brandon said:

Ya know he wasn't forced into a life of crime,  other people have managed to pay off medical bills doing honest work.  You'd think playing in the NFL and CFL that he would of saved a nice healthy chunk of money over the years.   

I don't know why anyone would make it seem like he was a victim.   

I'm with you on this. He played 7 years of professional ball. Even if he averaged $100k a year (he likely made more then that) he should have been set for life. I understand with all the procedures and medical bills it's a lot of money but he isnt the first person this has ever happened too. It's sad to see though. 

[Tracker]

15 hours ago, J5V said:

9 years for trafficking cocaine? Good grief!

Well, he was black, you know. White dealers get rehab, black ones get jail.

Edited September 26, 2019 by Tracker

[J5V]

6 minutes ago, Tracker said:

Well, he was black, you know. White dealers get rehab, black one get jail.

Yes, I know. It still shocks me, the whole drug war, the hows and the whys, the evil and the hypocrisy. The worst is the helplessness as we watch another life get chewed up and destroyed. 

 

[sweep the leg]

40 minutes ago, Bomber_fanaddict said:

I'm with you on this. He played 7 years of professional ball. Even if he averaged $100k a year (he likely made more then that) he should have been set for life. I understand with all the procedures and medical bills it's a lot of money but he isnt the first person this has ever happened too. It's sad to see though. 

Making $100k/yr for seven years doesn't make you set for life.

[Jacquie]

4 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

For Hefney, the CFL & the Bombers let him down. Shame on the CFL & Randy Ambrosie for letting him down. The league talks about player safety but then refuses to take care of one of its own & this happens. 

How did the Bombers let him down?

[Brandon]

32 minutes ago, sweep the leg said:

Making $100k/yr for seven years doesn't make you set for life.

It gives you a massive head start,  nothing prevented him from getting insurance during that time.