Telvin Smith was arrested last week and charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor, and the former Jacksonville Jaguars star is pleading not guilty to the charges.
Smith has waived his arraignment and filed a plea of not guilty, according to a court filing obtained by First Coast News. He also chose to waive his right to being present at pretrial conferences, likely to help limit his exposure to the media.
Smith has been accused of having sex with an underage girl he met in August 2019. He allegedly was informed that the girl was under 18 but continued to pursue having sexual relations with her. Smith reportedly gave the girl $200 for her troubles after his sexual encounter with her, and she used the money in part for emergency contraception.
The two had another sexual incident in September 2019. The girl told family members about the incidents, and police were notified.
Police investigating the matter saw that DNA inside Smith’s car matched with the girl’s DNA. They also have voice messages from Smith to the girl.
Smith, who had 134 tackles in 2018 for the Jags, did not play last season.
