NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A former Tulane University football player convicted of attempted manslaughter for his role in a brawl outside a Bourbon Street nightclub was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison.
Criminal Judge Arthur Hunter also set a bond of $200,000 for Ray Boudreaux Jr., which would allow the 23-year-old to be free while he appeals his conviction.
A jury convicted Boudreaux last month of three counts of attempted manslaughter and one count of aggravated battery, but acquitted him of a more serious charge of attempted second-degree murder.
At least three men were treated for stab wounds after a fight outside the Utopia nightclub in September 2007. One of those men suffered brain damage.
Boudreaux, a native of Abbeville, La., claimed he was trying to protect himself after he was attacked in front of the club. Tulane suspended the school’s one-time starting running back following his arrest.
Boudreaux’s mother, Jean Smith, asked Hunter for leniency before sentencing. She described her son as a “peacemaker” and a hardworking role model who dipped into his savings to pay tuition after Tulane stripped him of his football scholarship.
“My son would never intentionally hurt anyone,” Smith said. “Whatever happened that night was (his) sheer will to live.”
Boudreaux had faced up to 70 years in prison. Assistant District Attorney Rachel Africk didn’t recommend a specific sentence, but said the punishment should reflect the “harm that was done to these victims.”
Yolanda Benjamin, whose fiancee Keith Townsend sustained brain damage from the stabbing, said the two had hoped for a stiffer sentence.
“It should have been more, but we’re satisfied,” she said as she left the courthouse.
Boudreaux was taken into custody by sheriff’s deputies after sentencing. One of his lawyers declined to comment.
Hunter also sentenced Boudreaux to two years in prison for his aggravated battery conviction and gave him three, five and 10 years for his attempted manslaughter convictions, but ordered the terms to be served concurrently.
Tulane’s 2007 media guide said Boudreaux started three of 24 career games. He rushed for 360 yards and scored two touchdowns over three seasons.
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