Recruiting Forum Football Talk XVII

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If he is found not guilty, he will have one hell of a civil suit considering he will now go undrafted.

Against who?

It's a terrible situation no matter how this plays out.

If guilty, he threw away a promising future and more importantly scarred a young woman's life.

If innocent, he will be viewed as guilty in the court of public opinion and will cost him millions. All of this with really no recourse.
 
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Against who?

It's a terrible situation no matter how this plays out.

If guilty, he threw away a promising future and more importantly scarred a young woman's life.

If innocent, he will be viewed as guilty in the court of public opinion and will cost him millions. All of this with really no recourse.

Obviously the civil suit would be against the accuser. Previous poster was right though, if she doesn't have the coin he won't see much.
 
Obviously the civil suit would be against the accuser. Previous poster was right though, if she doesn't have the coin he won't see much.

I know this is easy for me to say but his best play if he was falsely accused would be to publicly forgive her and move on.

I believe, from a PR standpoint, that would say a lot about him and might resurrect his status in the league.
 
Huh?

Former University of Tennessee football linebacker A.J. Johnson and current cornerback Michael Williams have been indicted by a Knox County grand jury after a lengthy rape investigation, their attorneys said Thursday.
 
Tom Dillard is one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the state.

I was about to post that I have been to seminars with Dillard. Very experienced. If I remember correctly, he also used to be a DA or US Attorney and has been in private practice for a while. He and his firm know what they are doing.
 
Williams is still listed on the roster.

Does the fact they were indicted mean anything to some of you - or is just an ordinary course of business that people get indicted for criminal offenses all the time by mistake. Keep in mind no true bills are returned 2% or less of the time. Just curious as to what everybody thinks.
 
I was about to post that I have been to seminars with Dillard. Very experienced. If I remember correctly, he also used to be a DA or US Attorney and has been in private practice for a while. He and his firm know what they are doing.

He is an excellent criminal defense attorney.
 
Selfishly, I just hope this trial doesn't become a huge media talking point like the Vandy trial.

This is what I meant way back when it happened. Cooler heads needed to prevail or it was going to be a circus and none of the participants in the event would have been treated fairly. Plus the hit UT football would take would have been much worse.

I expect both to be found guilty of possibly lesser charges. Probably a plea deal. JMO FWIW.
 
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Williams is still listed on the roster.

Does the fact they were indicted mean anything to some of you - or is just an ordinary course of business that people get indicted for criminal offenses all the time by mistake. Keep in mind no true bills are returned 2% or less of the time. Just curious as to what everybody thinks.

I think it was presented that there was a shadow of a doubt with the defense. GJ doesn't determine guilt or innocence just if there is enough evidence to go to trial.
 
This is what I meant way back when it happened. Cooler heads needed to prevail or it was going to be a circus and none of the participants in the even would have been treated fairly. Plus the hit UT football would take would have been much worse.

I expect both to be found guilty of possibly lesser charges. JMO FWIW.


Based on what exactly?
 
I was about to post that I have been to seminars with Dillard. Very experienced. If I remember correctly, he also used to be a DA or US Attorney and has been in private practice for a while. He and his firm know what they are doing.

I worked with Steve Johnson at the Clinic at UT CoL. I don't think the man sleeps. Makes Butch Jones look like a bum. At one point he was president of TACDL, head of the innocence clinic at UT, working as an attorney, and has a family.
 
Williams is still listed on the roster.

Does the fact they were indicted mean anything to some of you - or is just an ordinary course of business that people get indicted for criminal offenses all the time by mistake. Keep in mind no true bills are returned 2% or less of the time. Just curious as to what everybody thinks.

In the state of TN, the grand jury is primarily a rubber stamped process. It is one sided, and if the DA wants an indictment, they almost always get one. You merely need probable cause for an indictment (just like an arrest) while the state must prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, which is much higher. An indictment is never a good thing, but the case still has to be proven, and provided the evidence, people are still found not guilty.

With high profile cases like this where the defendant already has an attorney, the DA usually gives the defendant and attorney a courtesy notice of it being handed down so that the defendant can make quick arrangements to go into custody and possibly make bond. That bond is very reasonable, but aggravated rape is an A felony. It carries 15-25 years at no parole.
 
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I worked with Steve Johnson at the Clinic at UT CoL. I don't think the man sleeps. Makes Butch Jones look like a bum. At one point he was president of TACDL, head of the innocence clinic at UT, working as an attorney, and has a family.

Yep. I know who he is as I have been a member of TACDL and been to several annual meetings in addition to capital seminars.
 
Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but a woman has to put herself through hell to go through a trial like that.. IMO, the average person would only do that if they were really raped, especially one as high profile in Knoxville as this will be.
 
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In the state of TN, the grand jury is primarily a rubber stamped process. It is one sided, and if the DA wants an indictment, they almost always get one. You merely need probable cause for an indictment (just like an arrest) while the state must prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, which is much higher. An indictment is never a good thing, but the case still has to be proven, and provided the evidence, people are still found not guilty.

With high profile cases like this where the defendant already has an attorney, the DA usually gives the defendant and attorney a courtesy notice of it being handed down so that the defendant can make quick arrangements to go into custody and possibly make bond. That bond is very reasonable, but aggravated rape is an A felony. It carries 15-25 years at no parole.

Sat on a GJ. Know many in the Knoxville legal and law enforcement community. If this could have been swept away it would have been. Agree on the bond amount. I think it is also an indicator of future plea deal to lesser charges. He is not a flight risk. Less than 5% chance of trial IMO.
 
Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but a woman has to put herself through hell to go through a trial like that.. IMO, the average person would only do that if they were really raped, especially one as high profile in Knoxville as this will be.

Idk that that's a fair assumption at all. Some people get stuck in a lie, some are just messed up people, sometimes the state proceeds against their wishes.
 
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Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but a woman has to put herself through hell to go through a trial like that.. IMO, the average person would only do that if they were really raped, especially one as high profile in Knoxville as this will be.

C'mon really?...That is ridiculous. There are a lot of reasons I can think of why she could not back out now.
 
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