Josh Jackson required to take anger management courses for vandalism incident

Josh Jackson must attend anger management classes, as well as abstain from alcohol and recreational drug use, for the next 12 months, per an agreement through a diversion program with the Douglas County, Kansas court system due to a vandalism incident last December. This report comes from Jesse Newell of The Kansas City Star. Here is a description of that incident from Newell:

Jackson was originally charged with one misdemeanor count of criminal property damage after prosecutors alleged he kicked the driver’s door and rear taillight of a car driven by KU women’s basketball player McKenzie Calvert during the early morning hours of Dec. 9 outside the Yacht Club bar and restaurant. He pleaded not guilty to the charge on April 12, with his attorney, Hatem Chahine, saying then that he planned on filing for diversion. That document was signed by Jackson on April 26.

Here are the full conditions of his diversion program, again from the Newell:

▪ “(E)nroll in and successfully complete an Anger Management counseling course” by Oct. 31

▪ “(A)bstain from the use of alcohol and recreational drugs during the diversion period”

▪ “(W)rite and sign a letter of apology to the victim(s)” by June 30

▪ Complete a minimum of 20 hours of community service by Oct. 31

▪ “(O)btain a substance abuse evaluation” by June 30 and “complete all the treatment recommendations listed in the evaluation.” If no recommendations were made, Jackson was “required to complete Alcohol Information School” by Oct. 31.

In addition, Jackson paid $158 in court costs, $150 in a diversion fee and $250 in restitution to Timothy Calvert, who is McKenzie’s father. If Jackson violates his 12-month diversion, he agrees to pay a restitution of $3,150.45 to Calvert.

Last week, Jake Pavorsky wondered here on Liberty Ballers if Jackson’s off-court issues could affect his draft stock, particularly with the Sixers’ own pick. Pavorsky indicated that general manager Bryan Colangelo seems to be putting an emphasis on a player’s character when it comes to the franchise’s draft choices. Jackson could obviously have a completely clean personal life after this incident, but it could still be concerning to the Sixers.

This whole situation only makes the Sixers’ eventual decision with the third pick that much more fascinating.