Sean Taylor fined 4 games checks, will not be suspended

[Yeagermeister]

For the record if memory serves Irvin also pleaded no contest.

A no contest plea essentially has the same result as a guilty plea. It just allows the defendant to save a little face, but the result is the same.

Correct and he was suspended for 5 games

 

[AbeBeta]

Correct and he was suspended for 5 games

I believe the Irvin case pre-dates the current conduct policy so that is not a relevant comparison

 

[Yeagermeister]

I believe the Irvin case pre-dates the current conduct policy so that is not a relevant comparison

Just answering his question

 

[peplaw06]

Look at the big picture of this case, instead of legal details. The DJ/DA (before being fired) offered Sean a plea of no jail time on a triple-felony charge if he would plead guilty to two misdemeanors - Sean declined a chance at no trial b/c he said he wouldn't plead guilty to something he didn't do. The DA that took over the case after the DJ was suspended reviewed the case for a few weeks and offered Sean a similar deal (no contest plea). Do you think the prosecution wanted to avoid a trial? Maybe, just maybe, he was innocent. We'll never know, though. Sean accepted this deal at the advice of his attorneys to avoid any risk associated with a trial as well as the inconvenience of missing any work.

You couldn't be more wrong. Prosecutors almost always look to settle cases, it has no bearing on whether they want to go to trial or not. In a District Attorney's office there may be thousands of cases at any one time. There's always another case that could go to trial, they don't gain anything by avoiding trials. They typically try to settle all cases, and the range of punishment they recommend to the judge on a plea depends on what they can prove, or how strong the evidence is. And if Taylor was innocent and there was proof of that, the case would have been thrown out. Despite what TV would have you believe, if a DA has exculpatory evidence, ethically the case has to be dropped.

If the prosecution offered him one deal to plea to two misdemeanors, then later offered him the same deal, how does that indicate that the DA's office "wanted to avoid a trial?" And if Taylor didn't want to plea to something he didn't do, why did he end up pleading no contest?

 

[random Cs]

a misdemeanor is a misdemeanor, there is no degree

Really? You didn't answer my other question.

If there is no degree for misdemeanor's then why don't NFL players get suspended for DUI's?

 

[superpunk]

Really? You didn't answer my other question.

If there is no degree for misdemeanor's then why don't NFL players get suspended for DUI's?

That is irrelevant. The degree of Taylor's misdemeanor already had a precedent. He got punished harshly, no doubt, it's just unclear why his punishment differed from the precedent.

 

[The30YardSlant]

Look at the big picture of this case, instead of legal details. The DJ/DA (before being fired) offered Sean a plea of no jail time on a triple-felony charge if he would plead guilty to two misdemeanors - Sean declined a chance at no trial b/c he said he wouldn't plead guilty to something he didn't do. The DA that took over the case after the DJ was suspended reviewed the case for a few weeks and offered Sean a similar deal (no contest plea). Do you think the prosecution wanted to avoid a trial? Maybe, just maybe, he was innocent. We'll never know, though. Sean accepted this deal at the advice of his attorneys to avoid any risk associated with a trial as well as the inconvenience of missing any work.

Do you know ANYTHING about the judicial system? Holy crap....

Prosecuters ALWAYS, ALWAYS want to settle out of court unless their case is so rock solid that a 3 year old autistic kid would rule in their favor. There is just too many things that can potentially go wrong in a court of law, and the burden is always on the prosecution. Not to mention the fact that they are often overloaded with cases and have to settle the majority out of court out of neccesity

 

[random Cs]

a misdemeanor is a misdemeanor, there is no degree

That is irrelevant. The degree of Taylor's misdemeanor already had a precedent. He got punished harshly, no doubt, it's just unclear why his punishment differed from the precedent.

 

[Hostile]

He allegedly pulled a gun. You cant say he definitely did it. His accusor is a thief. He was arrested for stealing ANOTHER set of ATVs. Not to mention it was Sean Taylor's car that was shot at and they never found the people responsible.

I am never going to understand this mentality.

Don't get me wrong, I really don't want to know how people can think this way. Just saying I'll never understand it.

 

[peplaw06]

Really? You didn't answer my other question.

If there is no degree for misdemeanor's then why don't NFL players get suspended for DUI's?

There are different Classes of Misdemeanors... Class A, B and C.

Since the suspension is up to the Commish, I imagine the precedent is that they only get fined. But this wasn't a DUI.

 

[superpunk]

You got me going with degrees. Forget that word was there.

Just read: The punishment for Taylor's misdemeanor already has precedent. Any other "degrees", however you define them, are irrelevant when considering the punishment. Sorry you needed a roadmap drawn for you.

 

[The30YardSlant]

I am never going to understand this mentality.

Don't get me wrong, I really don't want to know how people can think this way. Just saying I'll never understand it.

O.J. "allegedly" stabbed his ex-wife about 87 times. Everyone on the planet knows he did it, but you can say he definitly did

 

[random Cs]

You got me going with degrees. Forget that word was there.

:

Just read: The punishment for Taylor's misdemeanor already has precedent. Any other "degrees", however you define them, are irrelevant when considering the punishment. Sorry you needed a roadmap drawn for you.

Alrighty, I'm not sure if this argument can go any further. I don't know of a precedent of misdemeanor assualt and battery; you can consider it the same ballpark and misdemeanor domestic abuse and misdmeanor weapons charges if ya'll want. I kinda spurred the argument by saying NFL players don't get suspended for misdemeanors in the first place.

 

[Hostile]

O.J. "allegedly" stabbed his ex-wife about 87 times. Everyone on the planet knows he did it, but you can say he definitly did

The "allegedly" stuff isn't what I'm talking about though HH.

These guys who had issues with Taylor aren't angels, so anything that they say is automatically a lie and anything that happens to them is deserved.

That is the mentality I do not understand. Some people are lousy human beings. They are still human beings.

Not according to these guys. I don't get it, and I truly don't want to.

 

[The30YardSlant]

The "allegedly" stuff isn't what I'm talking about though HH.

These guys who had issues with Taylor aren't angels, so anything that they say is automatically a lie and anything that happens to them is deserved.

That is the mentality I do not understand. Some people are lousy human beings. They are still human beings.

Not according to these guys. I don't get it, and I truly don't want to.

Havent you heard? Drive By is above the law. These mere mortals are, in fact, lesser beings who deserve to rot while ST makes 700 grand every Sunday

 

[AbeBeta]

Do you know ANYTHING about the judicial system? Holy crap....

Prosecuters ALWAYS, ALWAYS want to settle out of court unless their case is so rock solid that a 3 year old autistic kid would rule in their favor. There is just too many things that can potentially go wrong in a court of law, and the burden is always on the prosecution. Not to mention the fact that they are often overloaded with cases and have to settle the majority out of court out of neccesity

Plus you've got a prosecutor who works for the state staring at a showdown with a high priced defense team. Lots of motivation for the PA to settle

 

[Hostile]

Plus you've got a prosecutor who works for the state staring at a showdown with a high priced defense team. Lots of motivation for the PA to settle

Exactly, anyone who thinks intimidation doesn't work in law is deluded.

 

[The30YardSlant]

Plus you've got a prosecutor who works for the state staring at a showdown with a high priced defense team. Lots of motivation for the PA to settle

Exactly

 

[MossBurner]

if it was pretty clear that the DA had no case, why did ST feel the need to take the plea? I mean, just go to court and beat the charge, so maybe it wasn't that cut and dried then huh?

Yeah, the US Legal system is perfect. Innocent people never get convicted, ever.

Quit arguing just to argue. Forget for a moment that you are a Cowboys fan. Look at the situation, and think again.

 

[BigDFan5]

Like it or not, that's all they can do.

No thats not "all" they could do. They could have suspended him for the first game of the season since the last 4-5 fines didnt have any affect