04-28-2012, 10:14 AM
One month after the incident, four of the five charges James initially faced were dropped. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor harassment charge and was sentenced to 10 days in jail and 24 months of probation. He reported to jail but was quickly released and put on electronic surveillance for the duration of his sentence. Oregon coach Chip Kelly suspended him for the Ducks' season opener. James wrote a letter of apology to his former girlfriend. He also said he felt horrible about the additional wave of negative attention the Oregon program has received.
"It makes the program look bad," James said. "You have a coach who is taking hits for us, for our behavior. That really hurts. I love Coach Kelly. He's been there for me. Even during my whole deal, he was always there. He really does stress discipline. He's not going to pick an individual over [the] team. I didn't want to be seen in a negative light. If LaMichael James is getting in trouble, then everybody gets in trouble.
"This will probably affect me for the rest of my life. But it's up to me to choose if it's going to be for good or for bad. I mean, no one wants to see their name on the ESPN ticker or in the paper for that. I can't defend myself whatsoever. But it's really up to me to strive for the best in my situation. Is LaMichael James going to quit, or is he going to keep fighting? I'm going to keep fighting. I'm not going to give up because someone's to judge me or thinks that LaMichael James did this or that. I'm going to go out and be the better person."
James added that he thought the way the incident was portrayed by the media was irresponsible.
"The media took it and ran with it," he said. "They could've ran a relay with it. They took it too far. They put my apartment on the news. They just made it so much worse. But I know that the only thing bigger than a rising star is a falling star. It's their job. You just gotta live with it."
James missed nearly a month of school while the case was running its course. One of the best things he took from the situation was seeing the bond he had developed with his professors, who supported him by coming to him to help him finish his classes. James, a sports business major, said he still maintained a 3.0 GPA. One of his goals for 2010 is to earn Academic All-American status.
"I really do take my grades very seriously," he said. "That's really who I am. I want to be an Academic All-American. That's important to me. I am going to leave here with a degree. I know that I'm not very big and I know the NFL stands for 'Not For Long.'"
As chaotic as the past six months have been, he is convinced he has grown because of what he has been through. He said the whole situation with his ex totally caught him off guard. "I have the utmost respect for that person. I'm not totally against that person. I'm not going to hold grudges. I'm over the situation.
"It is going to make me a better person."