I am a bit disturbed at some of the comments here. The girl was fifteen and a minor. She had a crush on someone who in her eyes was exciting and glamorous, playing for the football team she supported and loved. Fifteen, a kid but developing bodily into a woman. Or as Johnson charmingly put it, " With her tits all hanging out."
He knew she was fifteen, indeed he mentioned it a few times in their conversations. He knew this was wrong as he expressed his concerns to her about it........ yet he carried on playing on her infatuation, grooming her and taking advantage of her mental immaturity to gain access to her body's developing maturity.
Do I think she flirted with him, made herself look as sexy as possible, tempted him? Absolutely. She was a rapidly maturing young woman just realising boys and men were paying her attention.....And now one of her heroes she idolised was too. She was flattered......But she was still a fifteen year old kid, emotionally and mentally immature. Johnson knew all this but carried on anyway to fulfill his own selfish needs. He should have signed the shirt, smiled at her, even had a brief chat and gone home to his attractive adult partner. In situations like this someone has to be the adult and that adult was Johnson.
In light of other sentences six years may sound harsh but that is just other judge's being weak. In the judicial system it can be a lottery but that is what the appeal court is for. They looked at all the evidence and decided he had no grounds to appeal. Also if he keeps his big mouth shut and nose clean he would be out in three years so he wouldn't serve six. Just like football Johnson played this game knowing the risks and stakes were high and suffered a career ending injury as a result. The fault and blame his entirely his and no one elses.
