LEESBURG, Va. – A former Washington Redskins player was found not guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend last year.
The charges stem from a Nov. 23, 2014 incident in which Fred Smoot’s former girlfriend Valerie Jackson claimed he assaulted her at his Ashburn, Virginia, home where the two lived.
Both Smoot, 35, and Jackson took the stand, agreeing that the fight was over a set of keys which contained an ignition key to one of Smoot’s vehicle. They both also agreed that at one point Smoot broke through a bathroom door. That is where the similarities in the two’s stories end.
Jackson said an enraged Smoot left her hiding in her bathroom in fear as he used a steak knife to try and open the door before finally breaking through, grabbing her and ripping her pants. She also claimed he chased her as she left the home, trying to get help from neighbors.
Smoot and his attorneys argued that Jackson was lying and upset after Smoot refused to give her money. He told the judge that Jackson refused to give him the key to his vehicle which lead to a heated argument but he never harmed Jackson.
The judge in the end called it a case of “he said, she said. ” The judge questioned why the girlfriend didn’t just hand over the keys and came to the decision that there wasn’t enough evidence to find Smoot guilty of domestic assault.
Smoot’s attorney, Jon Huddleston said, “Fred simply wants his life back” and that the case was an attempt by Jackson to ruin the now NFL commentator’s career.
Smoot maintained his innocence and said he wants to put this case behind him and get back to work on the TV and radio. He had several jobs which he was suspended from after he was charged in the case.
“People get away with murder in this country, so not guilty verdicts aren’t surprising,” Jackson told WTOP as she left the court house. She said this case was never about money.
Smoot spent nine years in the NFL. He played with the Minnesota Vikings before ending his career with Washington in 2009.
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