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Charges Dropped Against Tennis Great Connors

$500 Donation to Tea Fire Fund Clears Disruption Accusation

Thursday, February 12, 2009
By Chris Meagher (Contact)

Former tennis star Jimmy Connors, who at one time in the 1970s held professional tennis’s number one spot for 160 consecutive weeks, had a misdemeanor campus disruption charge against him dropped after he made a $500 donation to the Tea Fire Response Fund.

Connors, 56, made the donation at the suggestion of prosecutor Liz O’Brien, who dismissed the charges on February 10. Connors, who won eight Grand Slam singles titles and two Grand Slam doubles titles, was more than likely facing a fine for the minor misdemeanor if the case had moved forward.

He was arrested outside the Thunderdome on UCSB’s campus just before the start of UCSB’s men’s basketball game against the University of North Carolina. He allegedly refused to leave an area near the entrance to the arena despite an authority’s orders.

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