Country star Sara Evans’ husband, former NFL QB Jay Barker, pleaded not guilty to a lesser charge of reckless endangerment after he had allegedly tried to hit the singer with his car earlier this year.
The former University of Alabama and NFL quarterback — born Harry Jerome Barker — was arrested on January 15 and booked on felony domestic violence charges after he had allegedly tried to hit the 51-year-old singer and another person with his car near their home in Nashville, Tennessee, the Associated Press reported in a piece published Friday.
Barker entered what prosecutors in Tennessee called a “best interest” plea, which means the former QB didn’t admit guilt, but “did agree that the state had enough evidence to prove its case,” Steve Hayslip, spokesman for the Nashville District Attorney General’s office shared with the AP.
The husband of country music singer Sara Evans won't spend any time behind bars in his domestic violence case … TMZ has learned. https://t.co/jUf52kDwVD
— TMZ (@TMZ) June 10, 2022
Evans’ husband was accused of allegedly trying to “hit two people with a vehicle but missed,” according to an arrest affidavit issued after the incident in January. It also stated that Barker and Evans were married, but separated, and currently living separately, with the D.A. sharing that the couple’s divorce is still in progress.
Barker was originally charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, the outlet noted. He was kept on a 12-hour hold and placed on a $10,000 bond. He was later released after posting bond because of the domestic violence charge.
Due to the plea bargain, the “Born To Fly” singer’s husband will not face any time behind bars, but he will have to enter a “26-week-long Batterer’s Intervention Program and the disposal of any firearms he may have,” WFLA.com noted.
Barker played in the National Football League with the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, and Carolina Panthers before he went to the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and the Birmingham Thunderbolts in the XFL.
Shortly after news of the initial arrest, the former QB and now radio talk show host admitted his family was “facing” “challenges.”
“We all confront challenges in life, and my family and I are facing one now,” the former QB explained. “Unfortunately, headlines and quick-to-publish news stories do not adequately capture the full context and complex fabric of our lives. I love my family dearly, and at this difficult time, I respectfully ask for privacy for the sake of my family and especially for our kids.”
Barker and Evans tied the knot in 2008 and have no children together. Evans was previously married to Craig Schelske from 1993 to 2007, with whom she shares three kids.