A deal brokered today with a Florida state attorney means that Chris Rainey will not face prosecution over his death threat text message as long as he follows certain conditions.
State Attorney Bill Cervone dropped the charge to a misdemeanor from a felony based on the victim's vouching for Rainey, which when combined with his status as a first-time offender led to this deferred prosecution. He must pay $50 in fines, make a $100 donation to a domestic abuse charity, do 10 hours of community service, stay out of trouble for six months, and attend anger management to avoid being prosecuted. Cervone says that this package is typical for first-time offenders.
Urban Meyer has not changed Rainey's status with the football team, despite the deal. "Chris Rainey is still not a part of this team. He's definitely out this week," said Meyer today. My personal guess is that we won't see Rainey on the field until after Florida's bye week at the very earliest, and I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't play unitl the bowl game.