Jonathan Turley calls 2.5 year sentence of former law student Avenatti a 'tragedy of epic proportions'

George Washington University law professor and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley called the sentencing of Michael Avenatti a “tragedy of epic proportions" on "The Story" Thursday, asserting that the disgraced California lawyer was among the “most talented” law students he encountered throughout his legal career.

A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday sentenced Avenatti to two-and-a-half years in prison over his attempt to extort an estimated $25 million from Nike. The 50-year-old former CNN mainstay was convicted on charges of trying to extort the Beaverton, Oregon-based sportswear giant when he represented a Los Angeles youth basketball league organizer upset Nike had ended its league sponsorship. Turley said Avenatti recognizes that he "lost control, and it looks like it’s playing back to him when he recounts it now."