Dennard Jury has a verdict

[mgteich]

I agree with what you say about MA.

I certainly do not know if Denard has any prior adult felonies. If he does then he is looking at jail time. If not, I
suspect the court will give him probation. I don't know how the Nebraska judicial system works but in Ma, the court will generally give probation; unless of course it's a major felony. Should he violate probation then he's be scooped up and sentenced.
People who are given probation are free to live whereever they chose. However, they first must make arangements to transfer their case. It happens frequently.

 

[signbabybrady]

Court room footage.


courtroom scene good will hunting - YouTube

 

[mgteich]

Perhaps it is OK for future millionaires to punch cops in RI. Have you ever lived in a red state? In Nebraska, there likely would be demonstrations and much political flak if a future millionaire received a suspended sentence and a $25K fine.

For one punch on a cop? your going to put a guy that is on track to be a millionaire in jail. People break into homes where there are people home and don't go to jail for their 1st offense.

It won't be probation either, the guy will most likely get a suspended sentence and a $25,000 fine. The cop will sue him and get a nice settlement too, college kids partying and hitting a cop is not like a street thug pushing dope on a corner resisting arrest and hitting a cop. Judges take into consideration the likelyhood of the event happening again as the main concern when passing judgement on a first time offender.

 

[Triumph]

I had a bad feeling about this case when it took them a whole day to select the jury.

Wonder where Dennard got his lawyer. Never put on a defense beyond calling Dennard to the stand. It was as if he decided the best way to undercut the prosecution was by making light of their case

DUH, Because Dennard was guilty.

The ultimate irony is he was aquitted of the charge for which he resisted arrest...

Means jack squat. Dennard hit a police officer, PERIOD.

 

[Jackson 2]

Perhaps it is OK for future millionaires to punch cops in RI. Have you ever lived in a red state? In Nebraska, there likely would be demonstrations and much political flak if a future millionaire received a suspended sentence and a $25K fine.

And if Dennard had a year of eligibility left as a Cornhusker and was sentenced to jail, there would, likewise, be "demonstrations and much political flak" if the current Cornhusker would be unavailable to play in the fall for good old State U.

 

[mgteich]

I presume that you say the same video that the jury did.

It's why police are held in such low esteem by many, including myself. Some big headed cop decided to demonstrate his authority by interfering in something that appearantly did not require his intervention. Now a young (black) man has a felony record and faces jail time. It's the cop who should be facing jail time for overstepping his bounds.

 

[mgteich]

Punching a policeman is indeed a felony, punishable by up to 5 years in jaiL

Dennard admitted that he resisted arrest, a misdemeanor.

What??? No way.... 2 years probation. He's a first time offender, no record and its not a felony.

 

[mgteich]

BTW, 3 years probation should not be taken lightly. Any violation could send him back to finish his term in jail. He would need to walk on eggshells for three years.

 

[Jackson 2]

BTW, 3 years probation should not be taken lightly. Any violation could send him back to finish his term in jail. He would need to walk on eggshells for three years.

I understand your point, but I wouldn't describe simply obeying the law as "need(ing) to walk on eggshells." If by that you mean that law enforcement would be looking for any excuse to put him away, then the fault there lies with them.

 

[supafly]

I understand your point, but I wouldn't describe simply obeying the law as "need(ing) to walk on eggshells." If by that you mean that law enforcement would be looking for any excuse to put him away, then the fault there lies with them.

BTW, 3 years probation should not be taken lightly. Any violation could send him back to finish his term in jail. He would need to walk on eggshells for three years.

I don't think that the probation should really be that hard to complete though, especially for a guy who works out a lot and keeps himself pretty busy during the year. His circumstances are a lot different than the average person placed on probation who has likely gotten into some trouble in the past, may/may not be using drugs, smoking pot etc, drinking/partying. He pretty much has a targeted path that has been set for him already, so shame on him if he'd screw up his probation.

I don't see why there would need to be any supervised probation sanctions like monthly drug testing etc, considering that there weren't any drugs involved, although one could make a slight argument for alcohol. In most cases though, alcohol usually doesn't call for drug testing unless it is a repeated alcohol offense.

I agree though, it shouldn't be taken lightly. I honestly think that the prosecutor has a bug up his ***, and that he almost surely wants to see Dennard wearing stripes, even if it's only for a month or two, so I am expecting that in addition to the probation that you are speaking of.

 

[Patriot Missile]

The law works in funny ways sometimes. I think the general public is getting tired of seeing athletes and movie stars getting away Scott free for things that would sure put them in jail. The list goes on from Leonard Littles manslaughter DUI, to Moss using his car as a weapon against yes, a traffic cop, Spears-Lohan, etc.

I'm not going to be surprised if he gets jail time as an example. I'm not going to be surprised if its probation-community service either. It's all in the judges hands now.

 

[BradyManny]

I presume that you saw the same video that the jury did.

No, but perhaps he read the cop's shaky testimony, which was contradicted by the man Dennard allegedly hit.

Look, if people don't think this event was blown out of proportion, they are fooling themselves - this kind of thing happens every Thursday, Friday & Saturday night in college towns across the country. Kids get drunk, they get in sloppy fights, cops intervene, no one gets hurt (and I'll remind everyone again, Kopsa was not hurt). Just turn on Campus PD, you'll see a bunch of preppy white girls getting away with this kind of thing every week. I think it's naive to think there isn't a racial or celebrity component to this that ultimately made this case worse for Dennard. I'm not sure which, I don't live in Nebraska, but I imagine either one could apply.

This pretty much sums it up:

However, Kopsa requested no medical attention, and there was only a small cut behind his ear. A state forensic scientist testified that the blood behind Kopsa’s ear was his own, and blood on Dennard’s hand was his own.

Dennard's laywer has it right:

“He made a mistake that night, and believe me, nobody knows that better than Alfonzo Dennard,” defense attorney Terry Dougherty told the jury. “But if that’s all that happened, find him not guilty. There’s woefully deficient proof that anything my client did caused a physical injury.”

Obviously, Dennard made a mistake that night, but if he gets real prison time, then I think he's being treated differently - in a negative way.

 

[IllegalContact]

If the Nebraska legal system is about ruining someone's life to make a point, then dennard will do time.

I have no doubt that the cop will be proud of himself for having taken down dennards life.....it will make the little man feel big

 

[BSR]

No, but perhaps he read the cop's shaky testimony, which was contradicted by the man Dennard allegedly hit.

Look, if people don't think this event was blown out of proportion, they are fooling themselves - this kind of thing happens every Thursday, Friday & Saturday night in college towns across the country. Kids get drunk, they get in sloppy fights, cops intervene, no one gets hurt (and I'll remind everyone again, Kopsa was not hurt). Just turn on Campus PD, you'll see a bunch of preppy white girls getting away with this kind of thing every week. I think it's naive to think there isn't a racial or celebrity component to this that ultimately made this case worse for Dennard. I'm not sure which, I don't live in Nebraska, but I imagine either one could apply.

I think the only people that are blowing it out of proportion are the fans. I would expect most people that hit police officers to be arrested and charged. I think Kopsa not being hurt is irrelevant. You still can't go around punching police officers or anyone else for that matter.

I think it appropriate that Dennard would only serve a minimal amount of time, if any, but lets not pretend like Dennard is suffering some injustice that he didn't bring upon himself either.

And its not as if this was a big surprise. There was a reason that his draft stock plummeted and this is it. If everyone had thought this were some routine incident that happens every week on college campuses then teams wouldn't have kept away.

His fate and, less importantly, that of the NE secondary is now in the hands of a Nebraska Judge. Trying to predict any motivations or conspiracy theories surrounding the sentence he lays down is pointless.

 

[borg]

If the Nebraska legal system is about ruining someone's life to make a point, then dennard will do time.

I have no doubt that the cop will be proud of himself for having taken down dennards life.....it will make the little man feel big

The nanny-staters are in full bloom. No accountability and everyone gets a trophy. As a nanny-stater, we tell the police if we wish to be arrested and we will punch an over seer of the law if we please. And when questioned about the punch, deny and blame.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

No, but perhaps he read the cop's shaky testimony, which was contradicted by the man Dennard allegedly hit.

Look, if people don't think this event was blown out of proportion, they are fooling themselves - this kind of thing happens every Thursday, Friday & Saturday night in college towns across the country. Kids get drunk, they get in sloppy fights, cops intervene, no one gets hurt (and I'll remind everyone again, Kopsa was not hurt). Just turn on Campus PD, you'll see a bunch of preppy white girls getting away with this kind of thing every week. I think it's naive to think there isn't a racial or celebrity component to this that ultimately made this case worse for Dennard. I'm not sure which, I don't live in Nebraska, but I imagine either one could apply.

...

Obviously, Dennard made a mistake that night, but if he gets real prison time, then I think he's being treated differently - in a negative way.

For the sake of discussion, I'll accept that everything you say is correct.

That still doesn't change the underlying truth here.

High profile individuals, whether athletes or entertainers, face the reality that their actions could be judged by a different standard than is applied to the average person. At times, but not always, this reality works against them. Yes, there are occasions when this reality gets them a "break" or the benefit of the doubt, which many feel is unfair and is subject for another discussion. But, often, as it would appear it did in this case if I accept your facts, this reality works against them.

Dennard should never have allowed himself to be in this situation in the first place. It's difficult for a young guy, I'm sure, but he has to understand that he has to "relax" in safe places, among trusted friends and out of the public eye. He has to know that if he's in public, he's "on." That's part of the price of being able to earn a lifetime of wages plus a decent pension in a few years by playing a kid's game at the highest level.

Why do you think that many (not all) high profile people don't drive their own vehicles? They know that even a fender bender could be turned into a major Settlement if they are behind the wheel. Indeed, many high profile people have bodyguards not just to protect their persons against those who would wish them physical harm, but to keep people away from them who would compromise them in other ways.

I think the NFL does a pretty good job of coaching its young and more visible players in avoiding these kinds of situations. Dennard clearly didn't pay attention to that advice and now he will pay a price. Hopefully, that price will be a reasonable one as I am prepared to accept your view that this incident was more a case of bad judgment and foolishness than malice.

 

[IllegalContact]

The nanny-staters are in full bloom. No accountability and everyone gets a trophy. As a nanny-stater, we tell the police if we wish to be arrested and we will punch an over seer of the law if we please. And when questioned about the punch, deny and blame.

Ya.....because cops are so highly regarded

 

[signbabybrady]

I think the only people that are blowing it out of proportion are the fans. I would expect most people that hit police officers to be arrested and charged. I think Kopsa not being hurt is irrelevant. You still can't go around punching police officers or anyone else for that matter.

I think it appropriate that Dennard would only serve a minimal amount of time, if any, but lets not pretend like Dennard is suffering some injustice that he didn't bring upon himself either.

And its not as if this was a big surprise. There was a reason that his draft stock plummeted and this is it. If everyone had thought this were some routine incident that happens every week on college campuses then teams wouldn't have kept away.

His fate and, less importantly, that of the NE secondary is now in the hands of a Nebraska Judge. Trying to predict any motivations or conspiracy theories surrounding the sentence he lays down is pointless.

If he sees significant jail time then there was definitely a biais in play/trying to make an example out of a public figure.

Assaulting a police officer should not be taken lightly but there has to be a difference between hitting a cop in a crowded fight like this and squaring off with a cop mano a mano to try and avoid an arrest or whatever reason one might assault a cop.

To me this type of thing if a first offense should probably see no Jail time.

I had a friend who is a moron who has twice hit police officers and his stories were much more heinous. Both times he was messed up drunk and on narcotics/ blacked out and didnt just strik them but beat them and he got 90s days each time behind bars.

If Dennard were to get 90 days I would find that excessive given the story but not out of the realm of possibilty but anything more than that would just be unfair.

Besides who are they making an example too? Its not like some drunk kid who gets in the same situation is going to pause and say to himself remember Dennard and walk away.

 

[BSR]

If he sees significant jail time then there was definitely a biais in play/trying to make an example out of a public figure.

Assaulting a police officer should not be taken lightly but there has to be a difference between hitting a cop in a crowded fight like this and squaring off with a cop mano a mano to try and avoid an arrest or whatever reason one might assault a cop.

To me this type of thing if a first offense should probably see no Jail time.

I had a friend who is a moron who has twice hit police officers and his stories were much more heinous. Both times he was messed up drunk and on narcotics/ blacked out and didnt just strik them but beat them and he got 90s days each time behind bars.

If Dennard were to get 90 days I would find that excessive given the story but not out of the realm of possibilty but anything more than that would just be unfair.

Besides who are they making an example too? Its not like some drunk kid who gets in the same situation is going to pause and say to himself remember Dennard and walk away.

I would expect a similar or lesser sentence but at the same time I wouldn't claim bias if it was more unless I had more facts. In particular what is the average sentence for similar convictions in this district and in particular this Judge? That is the only relevant data and in the end is irrelevant. What good does it do Dennard? None.

 

[BradyManny]

If everyone had thought this were some routine incident that happens every week on college campuses then teams wouldn't have kept away.

There were a lot of reports that his stock was hurt more by his play at the Senior Bowl than questions of character. And if the incident did hurt his stock, I'm sure it had to do more with the practical repercussions of a guy with a trial on the horizon then it did with drawing conclusions about Dennard as a person from the incident. The Patriots background check and Belichick's comments on the issue confirms as much.

I would expect most people that hit police officers to be arrested and charged. I think Kopsa not being hurt is irrelevant. You still can't go around punching police officers or anyone else for that matter.

Apparently in Nebraska you can go around punching anyone else, because Dennard was not punished for striking Samani. Instead, he went down for hitting a police officer despite much murkier evidence that he struck the man, and even murkier evidence that it was his intent.

Obviously, Dennard was at fault in this incident. Just seems like getting a felony over a bar scrum that left no one hurt is an overreaction.