The video shows it all. Tony Farmer, a highly recruited high school basketball prospect out of Garfield Heights, Ohio, collapsed to the floor Tuesday after receiving a three-year prison sentence.
Farmer plead guilty in July to kidnapping, felonious assault and robbery and intimidation according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The charges stem from an altercation between Farmer and his ex-girlfriend Andrea Lane on April 23. Farmer was listed on several recruiting websites as a top 100 prospect in the 2013 class. The 6’7 forward had drawn interest from DePaul, Illinois, Michigan State, Penn State and Xavier, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Rivals.com.
The video, which was captured by Cleveland affiliate Fox 8, shows a horrified and shocked Farmer in disbelief while his sentence is read by Cuyahoga County Judge Pamela Barker. Farmer was hoping for probation.
Farmer’s girlfriend asked the judge for mercy, saying although she wants no future contact with Farmer, he shouldn’t have to go prison. Lane, who is also 18, added that Farmer needs help and she does not think he will receive it behind bars.
Farmer would have been a senior this fall.
Click here to read more on this story.
Follow theGrio’s Todd Johnson on Twitter @rantoddj