The 2015 NFL Criminals Thread

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...plan-to-release-darren-sharper-in-nine-years/

Prosecutor defends plan to release Darren Sharper in nine years
Posted by Michael David Smith on April 9, 2015

AP

Former NFL player Darren Sharper is expected to be released from prison in nine years as a result of his plea deal on charges of raping nine women. One of the prosecutors who agreed to that deal says that’s appropriate.

Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro, who agreed to the plea deal rather than prosecuting Sharper and winning a conviction that could have carried a life sentence, noted that Sharper has already served a year in jail and will serve nine more.

“I certainly don’t think serving 10 years in jail is a slap on the wrist,” Cannizzaro told theTimes-Picayune. “I think that’s a significant sentence.”

Ten years in jail may not be a slap on the wrist, but it’s not a particularly harsh sentence given the gravity of the charges against Sharper. He is accused of being a serial rapist who repeatedly drugged and attacked women, in four different states.

Sharper is apparently getting some credit because he has agreed to testify against two other men who are also accused of rape, and Cannizzaro says the sentence facing Sharper is enough.

“There is a significant period that is hanging over his head,” Cannizzaro said. “Essentially, he will be on probation for the rest of his life. He will be required to stay in Arizona for the larger portion of his life. So, from the perspective of the sentence, I do believe this is, to some extent, an onerous sentence on Mr. Sharper.”

Cannizzaro may think so, but that’s hard for the rest of us to accept. This deal means a serial rapist will be walking the streets again in 2024.

 

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...bari-price-pleads-guilty-to-careless-driving/

Vikings corner Jabari Price pleads guilty to careless driving
Posted by Josh Alper on April 10, 2015

Getty Images

We had a long run without any NFL players being arrested at the end of last year, but it concluded shortly after the end of the Vikings’ season.

That’s when cornerback Jabari Price was arrested on a suspicion of DWI charge in Minnesota on December 29. Price resolved the case in court this week by pleading guilty to a lesser charge.

Price’s lawyer told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that Price pleaded guilty to careless driving and agreed to 30 days of electronic home monitoring that will allow him to go to work with the Vikings while serving out the sentence. Price has also enrolled in a substance abuse education program and paid a $300 fine to settle the case.

Price, who played mostly on special teams in 14 games as a rookie, will avoid jail as long as he abides by the terms of his plea deal, but could still be disciplined by the league under the personal conduct policy.

 

[Memento]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...bari-price-pleads-guilty-to-careless-driving/

Vikings corner Jabari Price pleads guilty to careless driving
Posted by Josh Alper on April 10, 2015

Getty Images

We had a long run without any NFL players being arrested at the end of last year, but it concluded shortly after the end of the Vikings’ season.

That’s when cornerback Jabari Price was arrested on a suspicion of DWI charge in Minnesota on December 29. Price resolved the case in court this week by pleading guilty to a lesser charge.

Price’s lawyer told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that Price pleaded guilty to careless driving and agreed to 30 days of electronic home monitoring that will allow him to go to work with the Vikings while serving out the sentence. Price has also enrolled in a substance abuse education program and paid a $300 fine to settle the case.

Price, who played mostly on special teams in 14 games as a rookie, will avoid jail as long as he abides by the terms of his plea deal, but could still be disciplined by the league under the personal conduct policy.

Good. I hope they give him the maximum.

 

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...im-dent-faces-long-prison-term-after-10-dwis/

Football writer Jim Dent faces long prison term after 10 DWIs
Posted by Michael David Smith on April 13, 2015

In August, we passed along a tidbit from the book Manziel Mania, which claimed that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was so close to drafting quarterback Johnny Manziel that Jones’s son Stephen had to take the card with Manziel’s name on it out of Jerry’s hand.

Little did we know that the story of the author of Manziel Mania was even crazier than the story of the goings-on in the Cowboys’ draft room: It turns out that at the very time Manziel Mania was generating headlines, author Jim Dent was on the lam in Mexico, having jumped bail because he was facing a long prison term in Texas after his 10th conviction for driving while intoxicated.

The Dallas Morning News has conducted a thorough investigation of Dent, who authored several well-regarded books about football, including The Junction Boys and King of the Cowboys: The Life and Times of Jerry Jones. Dent has now been caught and resides in the Collin County jail, where he awaits sentencing on Thursday on the DWI charges. In addition to the DWI sentence, he now faces a felony charge of bail jumping and failure to appear in court, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Dent promoted Manziel Mania from Mexico, using an Internet phone service that makes calls hard to trace so that he could conduct radio interviews to talk about the book without the authorities tracking him down. In all the news accounts of Manziel Mania — which got plenty of attention thanks to that headline-grabbing anecdote about the Cowboys’ draft room — no one mentioned that Dent was on the run from the law.

But the Dallas Morning News has done a thorough job of examining everything Dent has done: He has been convicted of DWI in five different counties in Texas, as well as convictions in Arkansas, Nevada and Oklahoma. One of his DWI arrests came on the very day he was released from jail for a previous DWI.

He also has an active arrest warrant out for him in Arkansas because he failed to complete the alcohol counseling that was required as a result of his drunk driving conviction there. His former book agent says that organizing Dent’s schedule meant “juggling calls from five different lawyers in four different states,” and the agent eventually stopped working with Dent because of “too many late-night drunken calls.”

The law failed to stop Dent. His license was suspended but he kept driving anyway. He was ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings but didn’t show. He was ordered to wear an ankle monitor, but he removed it. Dent promised in a jailhouse interview that he will never drink again, but that’s a promise he has broken before.

It’s a gripping story, one that Dent says he will write a book about. He’ll have plenty of time to finish it behind bars.

 

[CodeMonkey]

Ten DWIs?...One on the same day being released for a Dwi. Man. Well good thing at least there aren't dead bodies. He seems to have traveled significantly and probably stoned so that's pretty lucky.

 

[Legatron4]

Good. I hope they give him the maximum.

Careless driving? What does that even mean?

 

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/04/15/sean-smith-gets-two-years-probation-after-dui-plea/

Sean Smith gets two years probation after DUI plea
Posted by Josh Alper on April 15, 2015

Getty Images

Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith was arrested last June for driving under the influence and other charges after he crashed his car in Kansas City and he went to court recently to resolve the matter.

The Kansas City Star reports that Smith pleaded guilty to DUI last month and received two years probation as part of a deal with prosecutors. Smith also paid a fine and was also fined for a failure to present insurance at the time of the accident, but had a careless driving charge dropped.

Smith’s penalties will likely include a two-game suspension from the league. Under the terms of the new personal conduct policy, such a suspension is automatic for a player who is convicted of or pleads guilty to a DUI offense. The penalty could be harsher depending on the circumstances of the arrest.

A suspension would interrupt Smith’s streak of consecutive games played at 79 after he started every game for Kansas City last season. Smith has missed just one game in his six-year career.

 

[Prime Time]

Hope he doesn't figure out how to make Pruno while in prison.
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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...jim-dent-gets-10-years-in-prison-for-10-dwis/

Football writer Jim Dent gets 10 years in prison for 10 DWIs
Posted by Michael David Smith on April 15, 2015

Jim Dent, the author of several books about football, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after his 10th conviction for driving while intoxicated.

Dent, who jumped bail and fled to Mexico last year, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in which he will be allowed to serve a 10-year sentence for bail jumping and a 10-year sentence for the DWIs simultaneously.

The Dallas Morning News reports that this will be the longest of three jail terms Dent has served. Dent has served a three-month term and a 22-month term for previous drunk driving convictions and probation violations.

Dent is the author of well-regarded football books including The Junction Boys, King of the Cowboys: The Life and Times of Jerry Jones and Manziel Mania. Last year he garnered a great deal of attention for an account in Manziel Mania of disarray in the Cowboys’ draft room when Stephen Jones had to convince his father, Jerry Jones, not to take Johnny Manziel in the first round of the draft. While Dent was promoting that book, he was conducting interviews using untraceable phones while on the run in Mexico.

Now Dent won’t be free for a decade.

 

[Rmfnlt]

Hope he doesn't figure out how to make Pruno while in prison.
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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...jim-dent-gets-10-years-in-prison-for-10-dwis/

Football writer Jim Dent gets 10 years in prison for 10 DWIs
Posted by Michael David Smith on April 15, 2015

Jim Dent, the author of several books about football, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after his 10th conviction for driving while intoxicated.

Dent, who jumped bail and fled to Mexico last year, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in which he will be allowed to serve a 10-year sentence for bail jumping and a 10-year sentence for the DWIs simultaneously.

The Dallas Morning News reports that this will be the longest of three jail terms Dent has served. Dent has served a three-month term and a 22-month term for previous drunk driving convictions and probation violations.

Dent is the author of well-regarded football books including The Junction Boys, King of the Cowboys: The Life and Times of Jerry Jones and Manziel Mania. Last year he garnered a great deal of attention for an account in Manziel Mania of disarray in the Cowboys’ draft room when Stephen Jones had to convince his father, Jerry Jones, not to take Johnny Manziel in the first round of the draft. While Dent was promoting that book, he was conducting interviews using untraceable phones while on the run in Mexico.

Now Dent won’t be free for a decade.

This has received a lot of attention on local sports radio.

Just this morning, he was described as: A smart man... a talented man... but a man with demons.

I think that sums him up to a tee.

Sad.

 

[Prime Time]

This has received a lot of attention on local sports radio.

Just this morning, he was described as: A smart man... a talented man... but a man with demons.

I think that sums him up to a tee.

Sad.

I've never met this man but I understand his addiction to alcohol. I inherited it myself and for seven years alcohol became a necessity like breathing air. Hope he gets the help he needs while in prison. Sometimes a man has to hit rock bottom before he can come to his senses. Unfortunately drugs and alcohol are easy to get in prison.

 

[Rmfnlt]

I've never met this man but I understand his addiction to alcohol. I inherited it myself and for seven years alcohol became a necessity like breathing air. Hope he gets the help he needs while in prison. Sometimes a man has to hit rock bottom before he can come to his senses. Unfortunately drugs and alcohol are easy to get in prison.

He PLEA BARGAINED for the 10 years!

Basically, he knew he'd reached the end of the raod.

 

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...to-alleged-assault-case-involving-aqib-talib/

Dallas PD suspends investigation into alleged assault case involving Aqib Talib
Posted by Josh Alper on April 17, 2015

AP

Last week, Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib was reportedly involved in a Dallas Police Department investigation into an alleged assault that took place at a nightclub early on April 8.

Dallas PD never identified Talib or his brother in statements on the investigation, but they were reportedly questioned by officers about reports of a gun being fired following an altercation at the club. The club’s manager told the Dallas Morning News that the brothers were there, but denied anything more than a “verbal altercation” had occurred.

On Friday, the Dallas police announced that they were suspending their investigation because of a lack of leads.

“Dallas Police Assault Detectives have been investigating an alleged offense that occurred in the early morning of April 8, 2015. This incident occurred outside a club at the 700 block of North Pearl. Detectives interviewed the Complainant, contacted witnesses and gathered evidence. Based on these interviews and the evidence currently available, this case has been suspended pending further leads,” the statement reads.

Talib has been taking part in the Broncos’ offseason workout program this week and should continue to participate barring any new information in the Dallas case.

 

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...dy-asks-for-expungement-of-his-criminal-case/

Greg Hardy asks for expungement of his criminal case
Posted by Mike Florio on April 20, 2015

AP

In February, criminal charges against Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy were dismissed on the first day of trial, after his accuser failed to show up in court — which happened after Hardy reportedly reached a settlement with her. Hardy now wants the State of North Carolina to pretend that none of it ever happened.

Per multiple reports, Hardy has filed a request that all records regarding the case be expunged.

“He’s been found guilty of absolutely nothing and he’s entitled to have a record of that charge eliminated,” attorney Tony Scheer said, via WSOC-TV.

If granted, everything related to the case would be removed from the Mecklenburg County court system — from Hardy’s mugshot to the conviction issued by a judge at the conclusion of a bench trial last year. Given the intense coverage of the case and the long memory of the Internet, it’s a meaningless gesture; the accusations against Hardy will live a much longer and more noticeable life beyond the walls of the Mecklenburg County courthouse.

Most importantly, they’ll live long enough at 345 Park Avenue to result in a potential suspension of Hardy for the outset of the 2015 regular season.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...om-warren-sapps-prostitution-charges-emerges/

Arrest video from Warren Sapp’s prostitution charges emerges
Posted by Darin Gantt on April 20, 2015

AP

We hate to do this to you so close to the dinner hour on the East Coast, but the news breaks when the news breaks.

There’s video of Warren Sapp, regarding his Phoenix prostitution arrest, where he refers to getting naked.

Thankfully for all of us, the video obtained by TMZ is of his interview with Phoenix cops, and everyone is fully clothed.

Sapp was arrested during Super Bowl week after allegedly agreeing to terms with a pair of prostitutes. (There must have been a breakdown over the bonus language — or something.)

In the police video, Sapp told the cops: “I put the $600 dollars on the table, everybody got naked.”

(This is where we really need a disposable bag sponsor, or perhaps a good disinfectant.)

Sapp, ever the romantic, also said that he told one of the prostitutes to stop talking, saying:“Why don’t you use your mouth on me, instead of using it?”

At a later stage in the video, Sapp gets emotional, likely around the time he realized he was going to get arrested and lose his job. At that point, he cackled wildly to himself and pulled his shirt up over his head, exposing his belly.

Thankfully, that’s all we saw. And with that, we leave you to your appetizer course.

 

[Memento]

Greg Hardy, you are officially a bigger scumbag than Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson combined.

 

[Legatron4]

Question, why is prostitution illegal but as soon as you film it, package it up and sell it online it becomes porn? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

 

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/04/21/lions-cut-rodney-austin-after-arrest/

Lions cut Rodney Austin after arrest
Posted by Michael David Smith on April 21, 2015

Good players can keep their jobs in the NFL after getting arrested. Bad players cannot. Former Lions guard Rodney Austin is the latest player to learn that the hard way.

Austin was released by the Lions this morning after news surfaced that he was arrested last week.

According to the sheriff’s office in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Austin was arrested and faces misdemeanor charges of assault on a child under 12, assault on a female, interference with emergency communications and misdemeanor larceny.

Austin has been with the Lions since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2012, but he has only played in one regular-season game. A bench warmer is easily expendable, and so Austin is now out of the NFL, and unlikely to return.

 

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ren-sapp-tackled-them-as-they-tried-to-leave/

Prostitutes say Warren Sapp “tackled” them as they tried to leave
Posted by Darin Gantt on April 21, 2015

AP

Warren Sapp recorded 96.5 sacks in his Hall of Fame career.

But allegedly tackling two women he was paying to get into the sack with him has earned him new acclaim.

If you thought it couldn’t get uglier than the image of Sapp naked in your head, well it did. The prostitutes Sapp was charged with soliciting at the Super Bowl told police he “tackled” them when they tried to leave his room, according to another police video obtained by TMZ.

Sapp has denied laying hands on the women, but one of them told police that after the disagreement over their fee: “He tackled us together. That’s why my leg hurts.”

The former Buccaneers defensive tackle was charged with two counts of assault, along with the solicitation charges. He was summarily fired by the NFL Network.

 

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/04/22/nfl-suspends-greg-hardy-10-games/

NFL suspends Greg Hardy 10 games
Posted by Mike Florio on April 22, 2015, 4:20 PM EDT

AP
When the Cowboys signed Greg Hardy last month, they didn’t know what, if anything, the league would do to him under the Personal Conduct Policy. The Cowboys now know.

Hardy has been suspended 10 games by the NFL for actions committed against Nicole Holder in 2014.

“In a letter from Commissioner Roger Goodell, Hardy was informed that an extensive two-month NFL investigation following the dismissal of his case in North Carolina state court determined that there was sufficient credible evidence that Hardy engaged in conduct that violated NFL policies in multiple respects and with aggravating circumstances,” the NFL said in a press release.

“The NFL’s investigation concluded that Hardy violated the Personal Conduct Policy by using physical force against Nicole Holder in at least four instances,” the release explains. “First, he used physical force against her which caused her to land in a bathtub. Second, he used physical force against her which caused her to land on a futon that was covered with at least four semi-automatic rifles.

Third, he used physical force against her by placing his hands around Ms. Holder’s neck and applying enough pressure to leave visible marks. And fourth, he used physical force to shove Ms. Holder against a wall in his apartment’s entry hallway.”

“The net effect of these acts was that Ms. Holder was severely traumatized and sustained a range of injuries, including bruises and scratches on her neck, shoulders, upper chest, back, arms and feet,” Commissioner Goodell wrote in the letter communicating Hardy’s suspensions. “The use of physical force under the circumstances present here, against a woman substantially smaller than you and in the presence of powerful, military-style assault weapons, constitutes a significant act of violence in violation of the Personal Conduct Policy.”

The NFL also found that Hardy failed to provide “complete and accurate information” to the league in conjunction with the investigation. The investigation included photographs of injuries to Nicole Holder.

The suspension will begin on September 5, after the offseason program, training camp, and the preseason. He’ll be eligible to return after the 10th game of the season. If he serves all 10 games, Hardy’s first appearance with the Cowboys will happen on Thanksgiving, against the Panthers.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/04/22/hardy-will-immediately-appeal-his-suspension/

Hardy will immediately appeal his suspension
Posted by Mike Florio on April 22, 2015, 4:38 PM EDT

The NFL has imposed a major suspension on Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy. And now the former Panthers pass rusher will exercise his right to appeal the decision.

Per a league source, Hardy will immediately appeal the 10-game suspension. The appeal will focus on the retroactive application of the NFL’s new approach to domestic violence to conduct that happened before the NFL toughened its penalties and changed its personal conduct policy.

Prior to the Ray Rice incident, a first-time offender found to be responsible for domestic violence typically received a two-game suspension. That’s the penalty Rice initially received, and he did not appeal it.

But the NFL absorbed significant criticism for the perceived slap on the wrist, prompting an initial change to the penalties in domestic violence cases. Later, after the video of Rice knocking out his then-fiancée emerged, the NFL responded to relentless scrutiny and a widespread backlash by revamping the entire conduct policy.

The first question becomes whether the NFL will appoint an independent arbitrator to handle the appeal. Then, the question becomes whether the appeal will succeed on the question of whether the NFL did indeed apply its new approach to domestic violence retroactively.

Ultimately, Hardy may end up in court, arguing that the NFL is holding him responsible under a standard that didn’t exist when the behavior occurred. Vikings running backAdrian Peterson secured a ruling to that effect earlier this year. (He has since been reinstated, for reasons unrelated to the legal case.)

It’s possible that Hardy, if he files suit, will seek an order allowing him to play while the litigation and any appeals are pending.

From the league’s perspective, the risk of ultimately losing in court likely outweighs the risk of further P.R. problems that could have emerged if Hardy had been suspended only two games. Even if the appeal is successful, the league can claim that it did everything in its power to keep Hardy on the sidelines for another 10 games.

Last season, Hardy missed 15 games with pay while his criminal case was pending. But the league doesn’t regard paid leave as discipline. If the 10-game suspension is upheld, Hardy eventually will have missed 25 games.

Hardy’s criminal case was dismissed in February after alleged victim Nicole Holder didn’t show up for the jury trial. She and Hardy reportedly reached a civil settlement of her claims. But the NFL determined a serious violation of the Personal Conduct Policy occurred, based on its own investigation.

 

[Memento]

Not nearly enough. If you're going to suspend Josh Gordon for a whole season, then Hardy should get just as much, if not longer. He's utter scum. He's the worst type of scum to still be making a living in the NFL. Not even Michael Vick is scummier than Hardy, and I hate Vick.

Because Vick at least realized his mistake. Hardy doesn't think that he did anything wrong and stupidly wants us all to believe that he's innocent just because he told his girlfriend to get lost and not show up at the appeal hearing.