FORT WORTH, Texas -- A federal judge sentenced professional wrestler Chris Adams to three months in prison for head-butting an American Airlines co-pilot who tried to calm the drunken wrestler on a flight.
'The world has to know that Chris Adams, a star, is not above the law,' U.S. District Judge Eldon B. Mahon told Adams Friday as he sentenced him to three months in jail and fined him $500.
Adams, 31, has until Nov. 10 to report to prison. He was convicted by a federal jury Sept. 16 of misdemeanor assault for head-butting American co-pilot John Bently.
According to testimony at the trail, Adams became irate when flight attendants refused to serve him more alcohol.
Bently left the cockpit to try to calm the wrestler on a flight from San Juan to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. After pushing a flight attendant, the 235-pound wrestler grabbed Bently by the collar and head-butted him three times.
Bently suffered facial cuts but was not seriously injured.
'Because he was in the public limelight, he was idolized by the community either as an athlete or entertainer, whatever you consider that,' Mahon said. 'He had a lot of young children following him, wanting his autograph.
'This is not a very good example.'
