Michael JohnsonJudge Cunningham told Johnson he had committed "very severe" crimes for not telling sex partners he had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. "The main thing is the profound effect your actions have had on the victims and their families," the judge told the former college mat champ.
Johnson had been accused of having unprotected sex with men while knowing he was HIV-positive, yet when his sexual partners asked him about his status, he lied to them and said he was disease-free. Johnson had testified that he had disclosed his status to his partners before engaging in sex with them, required by law in Missouri.
Johnson had been arrested in October 2013 at Lindenwood University in St. Charles. Once the story broke of the college wrestler who had unprotected sex while reportedly knowing he had been infected with the HIV virus that causes AIDS, St. Charles police reported that they had heard from more than a dozen men who had sex with Johnson.
Johnson had an impressive mat career in high school and college. As Michael Johnson-Jones, he wrestled at Warren Central High in Indianapolis, winning the 189-pound title at the 2010 Indiana state wrestling championships by defeating future Purdue wrestler Braden Atwood in the finals, 4-2 OT, avenging his only loss of his senior season.
Johnson then attended Lincoln College in Lincoln, Ill., where he was a two-time NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) All-American. As a freshman, Johnson placed seventh in the 184 bracket at the 2011 NJCAA championships. The following year, he won the 197-pound crown at the 2012 NJCAA wrestling championships in Rochester, Minn., beating Zach Anderson of Labette Community College in the title match, 3-1. The Indianapolis native capped off his career as a Lynx with a 73-13 overall record.
After graduating with an associate degree in physical education from Lincoln, Johnson came to Lindenwood University, a private, four-year NCAA Division II school located just west of St. Louis, where he was a member of the wrestling team. He was expelled from Lindenwood after charges were filed, which concerned incidents in 2013.
Despite on-the-mat success, Johnson battled some serious issues outside the sport. An in-depth profile for BuzzFeed.com pointed out that the wrestler dealt with learning issues, with some friends describing him as "barely literate." The article also said Johnson wrestled with a deeply closeted sexuality that was pretty much unknown to his teammates and classmates; however, Johnson was well-known by some in the gay community as "Tiger Mandingo" who filmed some of his sexual encounters in his dorm room.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now