Dennard pleads Not Guilty

[JR4]

Dennard pleads not guilty - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

 

[PatsDeb]

Saw this. Hope BB knows what he is doing. Innocent until proven guilty, of course, but shoving a cop (if true) doesn't exactly show the kind of mental prowess and smarts needed to succeed on the Pats.

 

[JackBauer]

Saw this. Hope BB knows what he is doing. Innocent until proven guilty, of course, but shoving a cop (if true) doesn't exactly show the kind of mental prowess and smarts needed to succeed on the Pats.

Corey Dillon, baby.

 

[PatsDeb]

Corey Dillon, baby.

Agreed, but there is also Albert Haynesworth, baby...

 

[Ron Sellers]

I did not realize until today that it was an off-duty cop, which may (or may not) change things a bit. Does anybody know for a fact that the officer was in uniform and working off duty at the bar? Or was he in plain clothes and just happened to be at that location?

Dennard has already paid a steep price: the difference in his contract from being drafted in the 2nd or 3rd round and being drafted in the 7th - not that the court system is (or should) take that into consideration.

On the other hand Dennard also got ejected from the Capital One Bowl for punching Alshon Jeffrey. Combine that with his (a) being at a bar just before the draft, and (b) not just turning and walking away when the situation arose, that does give you reason to question his decision making capabilities.

 

[resdubwhite]

So the cop was off duty.

He may not have known he was a cop.

the offense third degree. I'm guessing there are no lasting injuries for the cop.

He may have pushed him.

He was in a bar 5 days before the draft.


For all those that have him pegged as a serial killer I'd advise against conjecture before all of the facts are known.

I'm rooting for the guy.

 

[JackBauer]

Agreed, but there is also Albert Haynesworth, baby...

True, but Fat Albert has a long history of crappy behavior. From all reports, Dennard seems like a good guy who made a bad decision. As someone who had their fair share of foggy nights in college, I think it's pretty easy to see how this could have been a situation that spiraled out of control. I also haven't seen any affidavits describing the encounter so tough to evaluate what really occurred.

 

[Rob0729]

Not a fan of bringing bad apples into the Pats. Gotta say Dennard isn't one of my favorite Patriots and probably never will be.

That said, he will likely plead the case down to a misdemeanor. Look at Kendrick Ellis from the Jets. He beat a guy to a bloody pulp and only got 45 days in jail and a misdemeanor. What Dennard did was not nearly as bad. He is likely to get a slap on the wrist.

I hope for his and the Pats' sake that this was an isolated incident and he is more of a victim of circumstances rather than a bad egg. I am a little leary of him, but knowing it was an off duty cop involved in the incident does change things a bit. Still not excusable if Dennard is at fault, but a little less bad.

 

[Calciumee]

True, but Fat Albert has a long history of crappy behavior. From all reports, Dennard seems like a good guy who made a bad decision. As someone who had their fair share of foggy nights in college, I think it's pretty easy to see how this could have been a situation that spiraled out of control. I also haven't seen any affidavits describing the encounter so tough to evaluate what really occurred.

Exactly what I was going to say!

Also, he was a 7th round pick with 2nd round talent (late 1st in some mocks) not exactly a lot of risk!

 

[dco20]

True, but Fat Albert has a long history of crappy behavior. From all reports, Dennard seems like a good guy who made a bad decision. As someone who had their fair share of foggy nights in college, I think it's pretty easy to see how this could have been a situation that spiraled out of control. I also haven't seen any affidavits describing the encounter so tough to evaluate what really occurred.

Totally agree with your statement. I'm in Omaha, 50 miles from Lincoln, and this was the first time I've ever heard of Dennard being in trouble while at college. Believe me, the Huskers are the only thing we have around here, so when something happens it makes the news quickly.

 

[UK_Pat37]

Not a fan of bringing bad apples into the Pats. Gotta say Dennard isn't one of my favorite Patriots and probably never will be.

That said, he will likely plead the case down to a misdemeanor. Look at Kendrick Ellis from the Jets. He beat a guy to a bloody pulp and only got 45 days in jail and a misdemeanor. What Dennard did was not nearly as bad. He is likely to get a slap on the wrist.

I hope for his and the Pats' sake that this was an isolated incident and he is more of a victim of circumstances rather than a bad egg. I am a little leary of him, but knowing it was an off duty cop involved in the incident does change things a bit. Still not excusable if Dennard is at fault, but a little less bad.

Hes not really a bad apple though...for reasons pretty well summed up already on this thread. By all accounts, he got into a ruckus, someone grabbed him from behind, ununiformed and he reacted...unfortunately the ununiformed guy happened to be a cop.

As already said, his coaches speak nothing but good of him and he was a leader on that defense. He plays with an aggressive streak and excels in man coverage. He's very vocal on the field too.

He'll become a fan favourite and one of the steals of the draft very quickly.

 

[Isaac]

On the other hand Dennard also got ejected from the Capital One Bowl for punching Alshon Jeffrey.

I was surprised when I actually saw this video--it was a pretty wimpy "fight" and it seemed like Jeffrey was more aggressive. Not saying they shouldn't have gotten kicked out, but it was pretty minor--less than a good-old Matt Light scuffle.

 

[Why?PJ]

I was surprised when I actually saw this video--it was a pretty wimpy "fight" and it seemed like Jeffrey was more aggressive. Not saying they shouldn't have gotten kicked out, but it was pretty minor--less than a good-old Matt Light scuffle.

except everyone knew Dennard had a reputation for doing that type of crap, and Alshon had a reputation for being one of the best sportsmen in all of college football. I wonder if Dennard had the guts to apologize yet, or if he is too much a coward.

 

[captain stone]

Could Supafly or others w/ knowledge of legal proceedings explain: is submitting a Not Guilty
plea SOP before agreeing to a lesser misdemeanor charge? I kinda ass-umed that a deal
would've been reached before the hearing today. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

 

[Joker]

Look where the hell the charge originates from....looks like he went to court, the cracker off duty cop wanted blood, he wouldn't budge so there was no plea down...now the kid goes to trial if no one with an ounce of sense steps in and works out a plea...they better have their i's dotted and t's crossed over there in Lincoln, Nebraska because the national media is scopelocked on this now...think about it, who the hell pushes a a simple assault case when the cop is now found to have been off duty and the case is a "he said/he said" People's Court brouhaha? Add to that no previous contact or history with the police as far as Dennard's enrollment at the U. of Nebasketcase goes and speculation on the merit of this charge will emanate from all over.

 

[TyronePoole]

Could Supafly or others w/ knowledge of legal proceedings explain: is submitting a Not Guilty
plea SOP before agreeing to a lesser misdemeanor charge? I kinda ass-umed that a deal
would've been reached before the hearing today. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

a plea deal is normally worked out before this but it's not unusual for it to get worked out later on

 

[Avenger]

except everyone knew Dennard had a reputation for doing that type of crap, and Alshon had a reputation for being one of the best sportsmen in all of college football. I wonder if Dennard had the guts to apologize yet, or if he is too much a coward.

when else has Dennard acted like that? I don't follow Nebraska much so I honestly don't know.

 

[supafly]

Could Supafly or others w/ knowledge of legal proceedings explain: is submitting a Not Guilty
plea SOP before agreeing to a lesser misdemeanor charge? I kinda ass-umed that a deal
would've been reached before the hearing today. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

Yes, sir.

Dennard plead not-guilty today simply because he has not come to the step in the process yet where the D.A./prosecutor would offer him any kind of plea bargain deal. That will happen at a later date. They're pretty much just going through the motions right now.

The later date could be sooner, or it could be later, depending upon the approach both sides want to take. In other words, Dennard's defense attorney may find it in his client's best interest to postpone the process 2 or 3 times if it would allow his client to finish out the season without any distractions.

In the same vein, they could also get it 'done' sooner, so that there is the possibility that it may be taken care of before September (my guess).

Since there are several stages of the legal process, these first couple stages are usually nothing more than a technicality. That's why last time he "waived his right" to the hearing, b/c it was simply a hearing to determine if there was enough evidence to move forward. Almost every time there is, so there was really no reason for he or his atty to waste their time in the initial stage(s).

If he were to plead guilty today, he'd have faced some potentially serious charges with the 3rd degree felony. That's pretty much why he had no choice but to plead not-guilty at this early of the process. Within the next step or two of the process, the D.A. and the defense atty will sit down, or communicate back and forth on a plea deal.

An important thing to remember is that pretty much 4/5 (80%) of all cases at any level for any crime are plead down to a lesser charge in exchange for a guilty plea. That's where the whole "bargaining" aspect comes into play.

As long as Dennard can get it reduced just one step (I imagine they have their eyes set on something more substantial like disorderly conduct etc, but I doubt they will get it that low) to a misdemeanor, he will pretty much get a slap on the wrist. After all, he is young, and it is his first offense.

Hope this helps, sorry for the long-windedness

 

[supafly]

except everyone knew Dennard had a reputation for doing that type of crap, and Alshon had a reputation for being one of the best sportsmen in all of college football. I wonder if Dennard had the guts to apologize yet, or if he is too much a coward.

Did Dennard have a bad reputation prior to this instance? If so, I was not aware of any negatives on his character. Getting into a minor scrap on the football field at the HS or NCAA level isn't really that big of a deal, is it?

Yes, he didn't show good judgement just weeks/days before the draft (my biggest concern), but then again we don't know all the details either. And even if he WAS a problem child on some level, that does not mean that he cannot grow up in this atmosphere pretty quickly and focus on his talents. The NEP locker room probably has a way of rubbing off on young and impressionable kids...just a guess.

A much better question that many of us are asking is "how does he look as a CB?" If Dennard can be anything close to servicable and offer the kind of press man coverage that we need around here, then he will be a steal no matter what.

To me, choosing him in the 7th rd was almost a no-brainer. The talent level is there, the tape is there, the quality competition level is there...all vs a low risk pick in the 7th round. Even if he doesn't work out, I think the risk/reward is worth it on a large magnitude.

 

[randomk1]

I hope this guy brings some swagger and toughness to our "high character" secondary. And i really couldn't give a **** about his character with our recent success of drafting CBs.