Joey Chestnut
Free To Eat
… Won’t Be Punished By MLE For Battery Case
Published
Joey Chestnut‘s recent battery case won’t affect his day job — Major League Eating tells TMZ Sports he isn’t gonna face any punishment for allegedly slapping a man at a bar earlier this year.
Chestnut — the greatest weenie destroyer to ever live — was sentenced to 180 days of probation after pleading guilty in April to misdemeanor battery in connection to a physical altercation in Indiana a month prior.
The 17-time Nathan’s Hot Dog contest winner told cops he was a bit too drunk to know the details of the interaction when questioned … but he later looked at the surveillance footage and felt the open-handed strike “looked like a joke.”
While the bar altercation landed him in a bit of hot (dog) water legally, the organization that promotes tons of eating competitions — including the Fourth of July festivities — isn’t getting involved, as it does not fall under its jurisdiction.
“Major League Eating manages the eaters for this and other contests,” George Shea, MLE chair, told us. “This incident does not violate the organization’s code of conduct, as it occurred outside any organizational event or activity and was addressed by local authorities.”
Long story short — even though he will be on probation when July 4 rolls around, it won’t stop him from guzzling glizzies on Coney Island. What a relief … considering Jaws is by far the most popular competitive eater in the game.
As for Chestnut, his rep said he regrets his actions being “misinterpreted” … and claimed “inappropriate things” led to the slap.
Regardless, he intends to avoid such situations moving forward.