The 2015 NFL Criminals Thread

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Memento

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Four words to describe Ray McDonald: Heaping. Pile. Of. Shit.
 

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http://mmqb.si.com/2015/05/28/nfl-greg-hardy-appeals-10-game-suspension/
hardy-9601.jpg

Chuck Burton/AP

The Appeal of Greg Hardy
The NFL responded to its domestic violence problem with new hires and a new conduct policy. But as Greg Hardy seeks to have his 10-game suspension reduced, the same old decisions are being made by general managers. Just look at the signings of Frank Clark in Seattle and Ray McDonald in Chicago
By Andrew Brandt

Courtroom Football returns today for the last appeal hearing involving a troika of high-profile players who were involved in domestic violence incidents in 2014. Following the appeals of Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, it is now Greg Hardy’s day in the NFL’s version of court. The case will proceed in the offices of Akin, Gump (home to NFL labor counsel Dan Nash) in Washington, D.C.

Hardy’s appeal has similar elements to the Rice and Peterson cases, including the same person advocating on his behalf: prominent sports labor lawyer Jeffrey Kessler, who will soon represent Tom Brady. As he did for Rice and Peterson, Kessler will argue that precedent doesn’t support Hardy’s 10-game suspension. And he will argue before longtime NFL vice president Harold Henderson, who also heard Peterson’s appeal. (That dispute still lingers; the reversal of Henderson’s decision on Peterson, sent back for re-arbitration by a judge, has sat dormant with the NFL, drawing a contempt of court motion from the NFLPA last week.)

Dealing with misconduct that occurred before the NFL enhanced its policies and penalties, Hardy’s appeal will likely be the last “bubble” case regarding domestic violence. As he did in the other cases, Kessler will point out that discipline for domestic violence incidents at the time of Hardy’s transgression ranged from none at all to a two-game suspension. The 10-game suspension, he’ll say, is simply part of a knee-jerk reaction to public opinion since we saw the video of Ray Rice knocking out his fiancée (now wife).

Anticipating this, the NFL telegraphed its argument by using the catchall phrase “conduct detrimental” when it announced Hardy’s discipline, stating that this punishment would have applied even before the new policies went into effect (good luck explaining that). Further, the league detailed the egregious acts by Hardy, and stressed the physical imbalance between Hardy and his former girlfriend.

The fact that Hardy’s jury trial was dismissed, thus overturning his bench-trial conviction, won’t carry weight with the NFL. Since the botched Rice investigation the league has vowed to not rely on legal outcomes. (Rice entered into a pre-trial intervention program to avoid prosecution; charges against him were dismissed last week after he completed the program.) Also, Hardy’s time on the commissioner’s exempt list wasn’t a de facto suspension; it was the result of a multi-party negotiation between the NFL, the Panthers, the NFLPA, Hardy and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. While some have made the argument that Hardy’s 10-game suspension actually brings the total to 25 games, the NFLPA and Kessler are wisely not making this argument.

It is hard to see the 10-game suspension being upheld, even by the NFL-friendly Henderson. Despite his chilling behavior, Hardy’s misconduct occurred when domestic violence wasn’t punished as aggressively—even the NFL’s proprietary system of justice has to recognize that. My best guess is that Hardy’s suspension will be reduced to six games, with both sides quietly finding that result favorable.

As the last “bridge” case in NFL domestic violence discipline begins, Hardy’s case represents both the end of one era and the beginning of a new one.

Moving from the league’s view to the teams’ view on domestic violence…

League vs. Team Discipline

The NFL has moved into a new era regarding domestic violence. It hired domestic violence counselors, a former sex crimes prosecutor, a drafter of the Violence Against Women Act, and the former director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. It has enhanced policies and investigatory resources as well as enacted tougher penalties.

Everything, however, is at the league level, with only education but no controls at theteam level. One recent example is the Bears’ signing of former 49er Ray McDonald despite his previous issues regarding domestic violence allegations. McDonald was signed by the Bears for a low-risk deal, able to convince ownership of his reformed behavior (what else was he going to say?).

McDonald was summarily released after being arrested on Monday on domestic violence and child endangerment charges, but the stain on the organization remains as the Bears appear to have been conned by McDonald and his supporters. The bottom line, though, is that despite all the league investment, there is nothing preventing or deterring teams from bringing any players they choose onto their rosters, no matter their troubled backgrounds.

Another recent example is the Seahawks’ using their top draft selection (a second-rounder) to take Frank Clark, a defensive end out of Michigan. Clark’s disturbing domestic dispute last November—laid out in this police report—caused the University of Michigan to sever ties with him. It did not, however, deter the Seahawks.

Seattle general manager John Schneider is a longtime colleague and friend of mine. Knowing the grinder that he is, I certainly believe and trust that the Seahawks did extensive research on Clark. However, a comment Schneider made to ESPN 710 Seattle radio resonated even though it was made as an aside. Schneider stated he “knew that there weren’t going to be any pass rushers left and we needed to grab one as soon as we could.” While refreshingly honest, it was telling about the business of football, as was a comment made this offseason by Cardinals general manager John Keim: “If Hannibal Lecter ran a 4.3, we’d probably diagnose [him with] an eating disorder.”

Every player has a talent/character evaluation, and every team has its own tolerance level for character, with some willing to allow for more questionable character if the talent justifies it. Despite the chilling incident, Clark’s talent (combined with scarcity at his position on the draft board) justified the acquisition in the minds of Seahawks officials. While some teams may have taken Clark off their boards or wouldn’t have considered adding Hardy or McDonald, other teams take the risk and jump in.

Were Clark already an NFL player at the time of his incident, he would have been taken off the field and likely received a suspension of several games. However, as an incoming player, the NFL told me that there would be no discipline, only that his past would be a factor in any future discipline. If the league wanted to deter teams from drafting players with a history of domestic violence, a suspension coming into the league would do that. It is doubtful the Seahawks would have used their top pick on a player coming in with, say, a four-game suspension. Of course, the NFLPA would fight that, but there is a way for the NFL to take their policies from the league level to a more granular level.

While the league has spent a year enhancing policies, it remains to be seen if its massive engagement on the issue of domestic violence will filter down to the teams in their proprietary decisions. Ultimately, the league can make presentations, provide lectures and education, but it won’t go down the rabbit hole of influencing personnel decisions in all 32 front offices. For that, we must rely on the teams to make character-based decisions, knowing the reality is that they are in business to win and are sometimes fueled by circumstances such as seeing the last pass rusher on the draft board.

And that leads me to my final point about Roger Goodell, the Conduct Commissioner. Even in a situation in which Ray McDonald appears to have bamboozled the Bears, I hear much of the criticism rain down not on the McCaskeys, the team owners, but on Goodell, who had nothing to do with McDonald’s acquisition by the Bears. If it has not been made clear already, here is the reality: Goodell is a punching bag for fans and media, taking the blows so that the owners do not. It is an implicit part of the job description, and compared to Goodell, the owners conveniently skate in the court of public opinion. Goodell is doing exactly what ownership wants him to do in absorbing the public relations hits that would otherwise come their way. Meanwhile, business booms.
 

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...r-enters-guilty-plea-on-drug-rape-conspiracy/

Report: Darren Sharper enters guilty plea on drug rape conspiracy charges
Posted by Mike Wilkening on May 29, 2015

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AP

According to a published report, former NFL player and broadcaster Darren Sharper pled guilty in federal court in New Orleans on Friday to charges he schemed to drug and sexually assault three women.

According to the New Orleans Advocate, Sharper will be sentenced on August 20. Also, he is to plead guilty to three rape charges in Louisiana state court in June, per the report.

In March, Sharper agreed to plea deals to resolve charges against him in Arizona, California, Louisiana and Nevada.

All told, Sharper might serve as little as nine more years in prison in connection with a variety of rape and drug charges, but his plea agreement comes with a variety of strict conditions. Also, he is required to cooperate with authorities in other investigations, theAdvocate notes.
 

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...linebacker-accused-of-killing-very-small-dog/

Falcons linebacker accused of killing very small dog
Posted by Darin Gantt on May 29, 2015

dead-dog.jpg


Falcons linebacker Prince Shembo didn’t just allegedy kick a dog and kill it, he allegedly found one of the smallest dogs possible to kick and kill.

According to Alexis Stevens of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, police documents say Shembo killed his then-girlfriend’s pet Yorkie named Dior.

Yorkshire terriers, which top out around 7 pounds, are no match for 254-pound linebackers, it seems.

The Gwinnett County Police Cpl. Michele Pihera said Shembo was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, following an April 15 incident.

According to the report, his then-girlfriend Denicia Williams told police she had taken Dior to Shembo’s apartment, and left the dog there. When she returned, the dog was unresponsive, and died a short time later at an animal hospital.

She said the next day, Shembo told her he killed the dog, at which point she broke up with him.

A necropsy was performed at the Gwinnett County Animal Shelter, where the cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma.

According to the report, Dior had “a fractured rib, fractured liver, abdominal hemorrhage, thoracic hemorrhage, extensive bruising and hemorrhage in the muscles in her front leg and shoulders, head trauma, hemorrhage and edema in lungs, hemorrhage between the esophagus and trachea, and hemorrhage in the left eye with internal injuries.”

The Falcons drafted Shembo in the fourth round last year from Notre Dame.

Photo credit: Gwinnett Police.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...t-linebackeralleged-dog-killer-prince-shembo/

Falcons cut linebacker/alleged dog-killer Prince Shembo
Posted by Darin Gantt on May 29, 2015

That didn’t take long.

Within hours of charges being filed accusing him of kicking and killing his then-girlfriend’s small dog, the Falcons have released linebacker Prince Shembo, according to Zach Klein of WSB. The Falcons have since announced the move themselves.

“We are aware of the charges that have been filed against Prince Shembo,” the team said in a statement. “We are extremely disappointed that one of our players is involved in something like this. Accordingly, we have decided to waive Prince Shembo.”

Shembo was charged with felony aggravated cruelty to animals, for allegedly kicking a Yorkshire terrier named Dior, causing massive internal injuries.

The Falcons were willing to stick up for Shembo after they chose him in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, despite an incident during his college years at Notre Dame. He was accused of sexually assaulting a female student at nearby St. Mary’s College, who later committed suicide.

No charges were filed in that case, and the Falcons said they were “very comfortable” with him in regards to it.

They’re apparently less comfortable now, and moved quickly to distance themselves.
 

Memento

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Shembo deserves to be ripped apart by a pack of rabid Yorkshires.

And also, for that sexual assault? He deserves to burn in hell forever for attacking and driving that poor girl to suicide.
 
Last edited:

hotanez

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Shembo deserves to be ripped apart by a pack of rabid Yorkshires.

And also, for that sexual assault? He deserves to burn in hell forever for attacking and driving that poor girl to suicide.
I agree 100% this guy is a piece of shit.
 

Limey

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From what I read, his explanation didn't account for the extent of the dog's injuries. He was also the guy who was accused in the case of the girl at Notre Dame who was "inappropriately touched" and then killed herself a couple of weeks after making the allegation. Sounds as if "Prince" would have been a better name for the dog.
 

Memento

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A disgusting person who should be locked in a cage for a long time, not just for what he did to the dog, but what he did to Lizzy Seeberg as well. From what I heard about the case, he should've definitely been charged with rape and witness intimidation (there were texts on her phone from one of Shembo's friends saying, and I quote, "Don't do anything you would regret. Messing with notre dame football is a bad idea.")

It's shameful that Atlanta still drafted him after that. This wasn't like Jameis Winston's case; in this case, the only reason why prosecutors didn't pursue it was because she had committed suicide.

Unfortunately, Notre Dame has a history of covering questionable deaths up under the reign of Kelly. Lizzy Seeberg. Declan Sullivan. It all adds up to Brian Kelly, who quickly proved himself to be scum when he abandoned his Cincinnati team before their most important bowl in the history of their program (a BSC bowl), and basically saying that they were nothing more than a stepping stone to Notre Dame.
 

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/30/plaxico-burress-avoids-jail-on-tax-evasion-charges/

Plaxico Burress avoids jail on tax evasion charges
Posted by Mike Florio on May 30, 2015

Steve Martin’s “I forgot” defense apparently works.

Former NFL receiver Plaxico Burress won’t be going to prison for failing to pay income taxes. Via TMZ, Burress avoided incarceration by simply paying the money he allegedly didn’t pay to the State of New Jersey in 2013.

Burress claimed he made a “simple mistake,” not by forgetting to pay (so the Steve Martin thing was a bit of a stretch) but by trying to pay via bad electronic check. He owed nearly $48,000.

Indicted last month, Burress faced up to a decade in prison. Seven years ago, Burress served almost two years after shooting himself in the leg with a gun in New York City. Which is far different from, and yet eerily similar to, performing with an arrow through the head while performing live from New York on Saturday night.
 

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...er-pleads-no-contest-to-disturbing-the-peace/

Bruce Miller pleads no contest to disturbing the peace
Posted by Josh Alper on June 2, 2015

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AP

49ers fullback Bruce Miller pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor disturbing the peace charge on Tuesday to resolve a case that began when Miller was arrested in March after an argument with his fiancee in the parking garage in Santa Clara.

Miller was initially charged with vandalism in the case, which was heard in a court devoted to domestic violence cases because of the nature of the couple’s relationship. Miller has been ordered to attend a 16-week domestic-violence counseling course and will have his probation lifted if he successfully completes the course.

“With domestic-violence situations, our office takes them very seriously, knowing they can escalate quite quickly,” Santa Clara Deputy District Attorney Tyrone Wilson said, via theSan Jose Mercury News. “We wanted to make sure the disposition we crafted was one that considered his lack of criminal history and how he took early responsibility. The conflict counseling will ensure he has better tools to deal with this in the future.”

Miller has not been taking part in the team’s offseason workouts and General Manager Trent Baalke said they would reevaluate his status when the case was resolved. On Tuesday, Baalke issued a statement that offered no hint about whether he’d be back for the end of OTAs or next week’s mandatory minicamp.

“The 49ers organization is aware of today’s proceedings involving Bruce Miller,” Baalke said. “Bruce knows what we expect of him as a member of this team and he has committed to taking the necessary steps to grow from this experience.”

Miller also faces possible league discipline under the personal conduct policy as a result of the no contest plea.
 

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...broncos-owner-arrested-for-domestic-violence/

John Bowlen Jr., son of Broncos owner, arrested for domestic violence
Posted by Darin Gantt on June 4, 2015

cd0ymzcznguwzdbhnduynddiytjhm2yyzthlmtjjotqwyyznptjinwrmztnknti2njuwmwq2ntk3ztuyyjflnjkznmiz-e1433446089363.jpeg
Getty Images

The Broncos are once again in the news for an offseason arrest of a member of the front office.

According to Mike Klis of KUSA, John Bowlen Jr., was arrested last night on a domestic violence harassment charge. He was held without bond overnight in the Arapahoe County Jail and has a scheduled court appearance this afternoon.

No other details of the arrest were included.

He’s the son of Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, who stepped down last summer, announcing he had Alzheimer’s disease.

John Bowlen Jr. still works for the Broncos, and is one of seven children under consideration to take over the team. Or, was.

A story in the Denver Post last year said he “works in a variety of positions” with the team. As such he’d be subject to the league’s conduct policy, as were the drinking and driving personnel men from 2013.
 

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...-violence-incident-involving-jamison-crowder/

Redskins, NFL “aware of” alleged domestic violence incident involving Jamison Crowder
Posted by Josh Alper on June 4, 2015

cd0ymzcznguwzdbhnduynddiytjhm2yyzthlmtjjotqwyyznptm2ytqwnduzotuyotywn2m1m2y1ytmzztbjzmq2zjkx-e1433449360936.jpeg
AP

Fourth-round pick Jamison Crowder has drawn some good reviews for his early practice work with the Redskins, but the rookie’s drawing some less positive attention on Thursday.

A Twitter user with the handle @TJMartinez21 took a screenshot from an Instagram page with the handle @j_crowder3 (Crowder wore No. 3 at Duke) on Wednesday night showing a woman with a cut lip and what appear to be bruises on her body accompanied by a long caption that appears to be written by the woman in the picture. It reads, in part, that she has “been choked, had a concussion, bruised, busted lips, grabbed, tossed around, hair pulled, verbally abused” by “Jamison” and that “‘Love’ is never an excuse or a reason.”

The Instagram post does not appear on the account, but the Redskins have issued a response. Alex Marvez of FOX Sports shared a statement from the team on Thursday afternoon.

“The Washington Redskins are aware of an off-field situation involving Jamison Crowder. We have been in touch with the NFL office and will continue to follow proper League protocol and assist them in any way we can to gather all of the facts. We will not be making any further comment at this time.”

The NFL also issued a statement via Marvez.

“The team has been in touch with our office and we are looking into the matter.”

Crowder hasn’t issued a response of his own and there will surely be more to come as the circumstances around the post are investigated.
 

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Don't know if this qualifies as a criminal act yet but if a deer was hit it would most likely being laying on the road or nearby. Maybe he was drunk and staggered off to avoid an arrest. On the other hand, maybe Spikes lent his car to someone. The whole thing seems fishy though. Another car was hit as well. Since Spikes is a Patriot we'll assume he did something bad. :)
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Cops find Brandon Spikes’ car abandoned after “hitting a deer”
Posted by Darin Gantt on June 7, 2015

cd05oddlnmnhy2mwmjrlzwqzntjhm2viytq1y2vly2yzocznpwq4nda2m2nknzk2yjbinmrmnzi0mdc1njfhyzgyywez.jpeg
Getty Images

It hasn’t taken Brandon Spikes long to make an impact upon his return to New England.

Or at least his car, anyway.

According to FOX 25 in Boston, a car registered to the Patriots linebacker was found abandoned on the highway early Sunday morning, around the time another car was hit on the highway.

According to the Massachusetts State Police, state troopers responded to an abandoned 2011 Maybach on I-495 in Foxborough. Police said an OnStar representative told them the driver of the car reported hitting a deer. While troopers did not find a deer in the vicinity (or a driver), there was a report of a 2009 Nissan Murano being hit from behind nearby.

The Maybach with front end damage but no visible antlers is registered to Spikes, who just re-signed with the Patriots.
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CGI_Ram

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Don't know if this qualifies as a criminal act yet but if a deer was hit it would most likely being laying on the road or nearby. Maybe he was drunk and staggered off to avoid an arrest. On the other hand, maybe Spikes lent his car to someone. The whole thing seems fishy though. Another car was hit as well. Since Spikes is a Patriot we'll assume he did something bad. :)
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Cops find Brandon Spikes’ car abandoned after “hitting a deer”
Posted by Darin Gantt on June 7, 2015

cd05oddlnmnhy2mwmjrlzwqzntjhm2viytq1y2vly2yzocznpwq4nda2m2nknzk2yjbinmrmnzi0mdc1njfhyzgyywez.jpeg
Getty Images

It hasn’t taken Brandon Spikes long to make an impact upon his return to New England.

Or at least his car, anyway.

According to FOX 25 in Boston, a car registered to the Patriots linebacker was found abandoned on the highway early Sunday morning, around the time another car was hit on the highway.

According to the Massachusetts State Police, state troopers responded to an abandoned 2011 Maybach on I-495 in Foxborough. Police said an OnStar representative told them the driver of the car reported hitting a deer. While troopers did not find a deer in the vicinity (or a driver), there was a report of a 2009 Nissan Murano being hit from behind nearby.

The Maybach with front end damage but no visible antlers is registered to Spikes, who just re-signed with the Patriots.
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Yeah, something fishy going on here.
 

RhodyRams

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i didnt post it in the 'Criminals " thread mainly because the investigation is still going on... innocent until proven etc


but then again, he is a Patriot after all
 

Tron

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Don't know if this qualifies as a criminal act yet but if a deer was hit it would most likely being laying on the road or nearby. Maybe he was drunk and staggered off to avoid an arrest. On the other hand, maybe Spikes lent his car to someone. The whole thing seems fishy though. Another car was hit as well. Since Spikes is a Patriot we'll assume he did something bad. :)
********************************************
Cops find Brandon Spikes’ car abandoned after “hitting a deer”
Posted by Darin Gantt on June 7, 2015

cd05oddlnmnhy2mwmjrlzwqzntjhm2viytq1y2vly2yzocznpwq4nda2m2nknzk2yjbinmrmnzi0mdc1njfhyzgyywez.jpeg
Getty Images

It hasn’t taken Brandon Spikes long to make an impact upon his return to New England.

Or at least his car, anyway.

According to FOX 25 in Boston, a car registered to the Patriots linebacker was found abandoned on the highway early Sunday morning, around the time another car was hit on the highway.

According to the Massachusetts State Police, state troopers responded to an abandoned 2011 Maybach on I-495 in Foxborough. Police said an OnStar representative told them the driver of the car reported hitting a deer. While troopers did not find a deer in the vicinity (or a driver), there was a report of a 2009 Nissan Murano being hit from behind nearby.

The Maybach with front end damage but no visible antlers is registered to Spikes, who just re-signed with the Patriots.
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Sounds like someone had to much to drink to me and decided to be a dumbass and drive and fucked up.

Will wait and see though, don't like to assume much on these types of situations, but thats my initial reaction to reading this.