Former Strikeforce heavyweight Brett Rogers was sentenced to 60 days in jail for a domestic-assault incident with his wife in June, according to a report today in the "St. Paul Pioneer Press."
Rogers in September pleaded guilty to a single count of felony third-degree assault. Two felony counts of domestic assault by strangulation and stalking were dismissed, as was a gross misdemeanor charge of endangering a child.
Rogers, a St. Paul, Minn., resident who in June was eliminated from the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix, proclaimed his innocence after he was jailed for allegedly strangling and punching his wife after a night of drinking.
In addition to jail time, Rogers was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to have no contact with this wife until he completes a domestic abuse program and receives permission from his probation officer. He is also forbidden from using alcohol and drugs.
The sentencing judge denied a request from Rogers' attorney to delay jail time until after a planned fight on Dec. 31. Because Rogers already served 26 days in jail, the judge said he only needs to serve approximately two more weeks to complete his sentence.
Earlier reports said Rogers expected to avoid jail time as part of a plea agreement to drop the two felony counts of domestic assault and misdemeanor charge of endangering a child.
Rogers (11-3) was immediately released from Strikeforce upon his arrest. He most recently lost a split decision to Bellator and UFC vet Eddie Sanchez at Titan Fighting Championships 20. He is 1-4 in his past five outings, though three of his losses have come against top-tier heavyweights Alistair Overeem, Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett.
