Charles Rogers sentenced to sobriety court

NOVI, Mich., Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Charles Rogers has been sentenced to Sobriety Court by a judge who calls the former football player "an addict."

"There is no question you are an addict," District Court Judge Brian MacKenzie told Rogers, 27, at a hearing in Novi, Mich., Monday.

Rogers, a former first-round draft pick from Michigan State University, faced 93 days in jail for violating the terms of a deferred sentence in a domestic assault case against his girlfriend, The Detroit News reported Tuesday.

Rogers' lawyers, however, convinced MacKenzie to sentence Rogers to nine months in a sobriety program usually intended for repeat drunken drivers. Rogers tested positive for drugs last week after he was late in returning to a residential home for substance abusers, the News reported.

Rogers was cut from the Lions three years ago for substance abuse violations and ordered to repay $8.5 million for defaulting on his contract, the News reported.