Is anyone surprised about Chris Brown receiving probation and community service as punishment for beating Rihanna, his girlfriend at the time of the incident in February?

Is anyone surprised that this plea deal was announced moments before a preliminary hearing – at which Rihanna was standing by to testify if necessary – was to begin?

Of course not. After all, it was a first offense.

But Brown’s gamble paid off, because instead of facing a potential sentence of five years in prison if the case had gone to trial, he now has to serve 180 days of community service (which the Los Angeles Criminal Court judge said he can apply to do in Virginia if it meets the court’s standards); live under five years of supervised probation; and attend a court-mandated 52-week domestic violence counseling program.

Brown also has been ordered to stay 50 yards away from Rihanna unless they are at the same event – then the boundary is 10 yards. He has also been instructed not to contact her in any way (the order works both ways—Rihanna must abide by those mandates as well).

What do you think? Was Brown’s sentencing fair? Now that he’s pleaded guilty, do you believe Rihanna’s story? And for those of you who were waiting to see how the incident shook out before deciding whether or not to remain loyal to Brown, how do you feel about him now?