RICHMOND, Va. -- Former NBA player Johnny Newman was sentenced to 60 days in jail and fined $500 for assaulting his wife.
The 41-year-old Newman was convicted Monday of domestic assault and battery, and the jail term was suspended. An appeal is scheduled Jan. 11 in Henrico County Circuit Court.
Dawnn Lewis Newman, 45, an actress who has appeared in the TV show Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, said in an emergency-protection order that Newman attacked her Sept. 3 in his suburban Richmond home.
She said Newman grabbed her by the throat, threatened to kill her and dragged her down a set of stairs by her legs.
Kevin Schork, Newman's attorney, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that her claim was without merit. He was in court Wednesday and did not immediately return a telephone message left by the Associated Press.
Newman now coaches the Richmond Generals of the American Basketball Association. A telephone listing could not be found for him.
Newman, the University of Richmond's leading career scorer, was drafted in the second round by the Cleveland Cavaliers and played for seven teams in a 17-year career.
