MMQB - On Gareon Conley and More Thoughts on NFL Draft Eve

[Plankton]

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/04/26/gareon-conley-nfl-draft-assault-allegations

T-minus one day to the NFL draft and counting. And we might have a La’el Collins situation on our hands. Police in Ohio are investigating whether first-round-lock cornerback Gareon Conley of Ohio State—who I had going 14th overall to Philadelphia before the news of the investigation broke Tuesday—was involved in a sexual assault earlier this month in Cleveland.

In 2015, Collins, a first-round guard prospect from LSU, was slated to be interviewed by the Louisiana state police after the draft in connection with the shooting death of a woman Collins once dated. Even though he was not considered a suspect in the case, NFL teams were scared off by the crime, and Collins went undrafted. Similarly, Conley will have a very hard time proving his absolute innocence in the next 36 hours. And if he cannot, I would expect his stock to plummet as well. How much, no one knows. But the climate in the NFL right now is such that someone accused of sexual assault would be undraftable by many teams in the league.

I texted Tuesday night with two NFL executives who are key players in their teams’ draft plans. Both said Conley had a spotless record in their pre-draft research. One seemed on the verge of saying he couldn’t see his team drafting Conley, but stopped short. The other, on a team with legitimate Conley interest, said it was too early to tell. Good for them for not jumping to conclusions.

 

[Alexander]

Good for them for not jumping to conclusions.

Whoa. Hold on there.

Do they not understand that if they don't condemn him immediately that they are endorsing violence against women?

Perhaps someone should let them know.

 

[bodi]

What proof you got there Alex HE SAID - SHE SAID ?

Former Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley is being investigated by police after a woman accused him of rape the morning of April 9 at a hotel in Cleveland. According to Cleveland Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Ciaccia, Conley has not been arrested or charged

According to the police report, the victim told police that she didn't want to have sex with Conley, but he grabbed and raped her in the hotel room despite her verbal resistance. The police interviewed two men who were with Conley and the victim earlier. They said they didn't see anything happen between Conley and the victim, who was later taken to the hospital for a rape kit and medical aid.

Kevin Spellacy, Conley's attorney, told WOIO-TV in Cleveland that the allegations were "ludicrous and ridiculous."

 

[Maxmadden]

I bet Jerry already had detectives on the ground in Ohio and are now focusing in on this new case.

 

[Alexander]

I bet Jerry already had detectives on the ground in Ohio and are now focusing in on this new case.

Interestingly enough, the Eagles were supposedly the only team to request a copy of the police report from the Cleveland authorities.

 

[viman96]

Wonder if he has been removed from Dallas's board? Assuming Jerry could get enough info on the situation then I could see them using a mid to late pick on him.

 

[Carson]

Wonder if he has been removed from Dallas's board? Assuming Jerry could get enough info on the situation then I could see them using a mid to late pick on him.

I could see this as Collins from a few years back. Take him in the first round or he sits out all year and reenters.

 

[bodi]

Lattimore previously tweeted, “So the first thing you say to a girl that you meet in the elevator is let’s have a foursome? Lol that doesn’t even make sense … It’s crazy how these females are nowadays, they most definitely prey on you and try to ruin you.”

Spellacy said his client has not been interviewed by police, as he was not at the hotel when officers arrived on April 9, but he is willing to bring him to Cleveland for an interview. Spellacy said he has made arrangements for that interview to take place after the NFL Draft on Thursday.

According to the police report, two of Conley’s friends spoke to officers on the night of the incident. The woman who was in the room at the time did not give a statement to police. She is the girlfriend of one of Conley’s friends, according to the report.

One of the friends said he and his girlfriend hooked up and he kicked her out. He was asked by police about the “white girl” and he said he “didn’t touch her.” He said his best friend, Conley, was “with the white girl,” but “Conley never touched her and the white girl got mad because she got kicked out of the room.”

The other friend said he was also in the room and saw Conley in bed with the the accuser, “but nothing happened.”

Police said the room was in “normal shape” and “no evidence was found.”

 

[NotForLong]

One of the friends said he and his girlfriend hooked up and he kicked her out. He was asked by police about the “white girl” and he said he “didn’t touch her.” He said his best friend, Conley, was “with the white girl,” but “Conley never touched her and the white girl got mad because she got kicked out of the room.”

The other friend said he was also in the room and saw Conley in bed with the the accuser, “but nothing happened.”

Police said the room was in “normal shape” and “no evidence was found.”

Which one is true? Was in bed with her or did he not touch her.

Sounds to me like he hit it and quit it. Maybe he was a lil rude and didnt hold her afterwards

Wait until they interview the other girl. Thsts when the truth will come out

 

[xwalker]

What proof you got there Alex HE SAID - SHE SAID ?

Former Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley is being investigated by police after a woman accused him of rape the morning of April 9 at a hotel in Cleveland. According to Cleveland Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Ciaccia, Conley has not been arrested or charged

According to the police report, the victim told police that she didn't want to have sex with Conley, but he grabbed and raped her in the hotel room despite her verbal resistance. The police interviewed two men who were with Conley and the victim earlier. They said they didn't see anything happen between Conley and the victim, who was later taken to the hospital for a rape kit and medical aid.

Kevin Spellacy, Conley's attorney, told WOIO-TV in Cleveland that the allegations were "ludicrous and ridiculous."

This is America. We have due process. The burden of proof is on the accuser.

It might not seem that way considering that it seems that defendants and their lawyers have to prove their innocence; however, a defendant has the right to say nothing and the accuser with help from the State, has to prove that their accusation is true.

Places in history without due process: **** Germany, The Soviet Union, Communist China, etc..

 

[xwalker]

Wonder if he has been removed from Dallas's board? Assuming Jerry could get enough info on the situation then I could see them using a mid to late pick on him.

Stephen said they would investigate these types of issues before removing someone from the board.

 

[Idgit]

Which one is true? Was in bed with her or did he not touch her.

Sounds to me like he hit it and quit it. Maybe he was a lil rude and didnt hold her afterwards

Wait until they interview the other girl. Thsts when the truth will come out

"He didn't touch her" might not have meant he literally didn't touch her. It could easily just mean he didn't have sex with her, depending on the context. Either way, they witnesses are his friends, but they're both saying they didn't have sex. If the rape kit suggests he had sex with her, his whole story unravels. Which would unravel any NFL deal he would sign at this point, too, since a team will have protective language in place now.

Which is why lying about a rape doesn't make a lot of sense. It doesn't get him his money unless he lies about it, dodges the criminal charges, and then pays her off civilly. But he has no way of knowing if that will work or not.

But her getting a rape kit done does give her leverage in a potential shake down. The results of the kit are HIPPA protected, but the implication the action of getting the kit done alone gives is substantial. Not filing charges with the police I believe keeps her out of legal trouble. Conley really has no recourse if she chose to get a kit done, even if he didn't have sex with her. It's her prerogative. You have to imagine for a lot of players, kicking over $100k or so to save $10MM makes a lot of sense. If he can prove she fingered him in this who debacle, that probably has liability for her, but that might be more difficult than it seems to prove. Otherwise, she had an interlude of some sort with him and then had a private medical procedure done which somehow became public knowledge. It's not her fault the press ran with it.

Who knows at this point?