If you were a woman and you saw how poorly the justice system and society treated rape victims, especially those who accuse a well known man, would you want to put yourself through that?Carlos Cowart said:I'm wondering how there got to be a 7th case after several previous victims went to the police. For fucks sake, do you have to rape someone in a police station to get caught these days?
But that's not what happened here, which is what he was pointing out. Women did come forward, but Sharper ("allegedly") was not arrested, and kept assaulting women in the meantime.ShaneTrot said:If you were a woman and you saw how poorly the justice system and society treated rape victims, especially those who accuse a well known man, would you want to put yourself through that?
ShaneTrot said:If you were a woman and you saw how poorly the justice system and society treated rape victims, especially those who accuse a well known man, would you want to put yourself through that?
pdaj said:And man, did athletes have it easier back in the day, before the internet was at its height and social media ruled the sports world. I had never heard of Dave Meggett's disturbing behavior until yesterday.
Meggett might have beaten the charges, but he didn't escape the episode unscathed. The Patriots released him before the 1998 season, adhering to team policy under owner Bob Kraft that violence against women would not be tolerated. Two years before, the Patriots had drafted Christian Peter, a defensive tackle from Nebraska with a history that included sexual assault, only to dump him several days later.
"It was Bob Kraft's mantra," Don Lowery, the Patriots public relations man at the time, told me. "When that incident happened, it was so egregious. And he liked David. You couldn't help liking him." Head coach Pete Carroll told a reporter, "If you see a pattern developing, at some point you have to decide if that pattern is taking you down the wrong road. We can't dictate behavior, but we can decide whether we want somebody to be part of what we're doing."
Former Saints safety Darren Sharper plans to plead guilty to resolve rape charges against him in New Orleans and Los Angeles, as part of a broad plea deal that will conclude similar cases in four states and drug distribution charges levied by the federal government, Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro said Friday (March 20).
Jnai said:
I've never seen this wording before. Plead guilty to rape charges, that I've seen. To resolve rape charges? It sounds like he's closing the rape charge ticket in his troubleshooting system.
mauidano said:This guy can't do enough time in prison for the wrath and hate he has brought. "Pleading"? What's that gonna get him? Parole in 25 years? Let him rot.
That's just Arizona. That article mentions that Nevada expects him to plead guilty and get between 38 months and 8 years.Dice K said:9 years. Seems light. Does the global plea mean this is all he'll get for the existing charges?
Cellar-Door said:That's just Arizona. That article mentions that Nevada expects him to plead guilty and get between 38 months and 8 years.
Then CA, and LA. I assume they'll be consecutive, so he'd be looking at anywhere from 25-40 years assuming the other two are similar.
Probably a good move on everyone's part in terms of time, money, emotion invested into the cases. He'll do 20 for sure. Sucks that he won't get more but his life is gonna be a living hell during and after prison in all likelihood. So there is some justice here.PaulinMyrBch said:Everything is concurrent. So he's looking at the 20 year sentence as the one controlling his eventual release from prison. I'm not understanding the split time between federal and state prisons, the articles are lacking detail. But either way, 20 years seems like a break. In the world of criminal law, that thing wrapped up fast. Multiple jurisdictions, victims, DA's, etc., I'm shocked they have a resolution so quick.
He had a helmet on when playing, and the victims realized/confirmed who he was on ESPN/NFLN?BigSoxFan said:Anyone find it weird that these reported cases all came after his retirement? Behaviorally, that seems kind of strange to me.
Dan to Theo to Ben said:He had a helmet on when playing, and the victims realized/confirmed who he was on ESPN/NFLN?
It's lazy, psych 101-level thinking, but I could imagine him being used to willing groupies all through his athletic career, and not adjusting well to being just another guy once his prime and fame faded.BigSoxFan said:Anyone find it weird that these reported cases all came after his retirement? Behaviorally, that seems kind of strange to me.
Perhaps served in Angola? Good luck with that.MasterShake15 said:It has reported that Sharper will be allowed to serve them concurrently, so it may be 20 years if Louisiana is the longest sentence he receives.
Depends - you'd have to know his ultimate liability. It's complicated but basically he could have been found guilty on a crime in one state, and that could enhance his penalties in another state. It depends on the laws in those particular states (and offense dates v. conviction dates, etc.)Dan to Theo to Ben said:Case must have been pretty strong when someone accepts 20 years. Have fun with Karma, Darren.
Not that I was following the case closely, but I'm also surprised at the speed of it all.PaulinMyrBch said:Everything is concurrent. So he's looking at the 20 year sentence as the one controlling his eventual release from prison. I'm not understanding the split time between federal and state prisons, the articles are lacking detail. But either way, 20 years seems like a break. In the world of criminal law, that thing wrapped up fast. Multiple jurisdictions, victims, DA's, etc., I'm shocked they have a resolution so quick.
Some states may charge for prosecution and court costs, but usually that's not overwhelmingly expensive. The guilty pleas in criminal court may have also included restitution for the victims (money paid pursuant to resolving the criminal charge.) They also make any civil cases pretty much a foregone conclusion - depending on the plea, and the laws of the various states, perhaps even an automatic one.Dice K said:Will there be civil cases to follow? I'm wondering if there's a possibility he'll still have some wealth when he gets out of jail. Surely the legal fees weren't cheap. Can his victims go after the rest of his money?
It's a state law level decision - meaning some states may have laws/prior decisions that mandate/prohibit concurrent sentencing or consecutive sentencing for certain crimes or scenarios. Within those guidelines, it's usually the discretion of the judge. Sometimes the judges can even reject the plea offers worked out by the parties.uncannymanny said:How does the decision get made between consecutive and concurrent sentences in a situation like this?
That would be sweet justice though.Rovin Romine said:You don't want to plea your client out to sexual offenses in 4 states, only to find out that the deal is getting nixed in state number 5 - and now your client is facing a trial and sentencing as a four time convicted prior sex offender.
I would pay good money to see him at the Angola Prison Rodeo. Maybe buy myself a nice rocking chair for $10 that he's spent six months fashioning.Dick Pole Upside said:Perhaps served in Angola? Good luck with that.
Dehere said:Last year just prior to the Seahawks-Broncos Super Bowl I had drinks with a guy who covers the Saints and with the help of more than a few beers he went on an epic rant against Sharper and spelled this whole saga out in what later proved to be perfect detail. Said he felt like he knew the story well enough to believe it but didn't have it cold enough to publish it, a laudable show of restraint I think given the significance of the story and the writer's strong belief that Sharper was the biggest scumbag that ever lived. In the end it was only a few more weeks before papers were filed against Sharper in CA. I guess in circles around the Saints it was pretty widely believed by that time that these stories were true and that Sharper's comeuppance was inevitable.
No great point to the story other than it was an interesting window into what a legit journalist faces when a story of real import intrudes on the world of sports. Had to be hard for the guy to bypass the opportunity to break a story that has now produced possibly the most severe punishment ever for a high-profile rapist in America.
mauidano said:Probably a good move on everyone's part in terms of time, money, emotion invested into the cases. He'll do 20 for sure. Sucks that he won't get more but his life is gonna be a living hell during and after prison in all likelihood. So there is some justice here.
LondonSox said:Such fucking bullshit. So if he raped a woman in every state and pleads guilty he could get the same penalty from every state and end up with time served or some nonsense.
As long as you plan your cross state rape frenzy well enough.
Marciano490 said:
Exactly. I hope every fucking DA involved gets voted out. This is premeditated rape; there are few things worse that one human can do to another, and he'll be in jail for less time that people sent away on drug offense.
Rovin Romine said:
Presumably the DAs obtained the consent of the victims. There may well have been generous civil settlements/restitution. (Or perhaps all the cases had deep flaws?) Whatever it is, there's definitely something "more" to this. Most DAs wouldn't drop the ball on a media case of this nature. For 5 to do that strains credulity.
That said, he's probably a registered sex offender for life. He may also be facing the possibility of indefinite civil commitment after his criminal sentence expires. (Basically some states allow sexual offenders to be committed civilly as though they were mentally ill persons.) I can't be more detailed since it's a state level sanction, and depends on what CA, LA, NV, etc. have on their books.
I don't have time to dig it up now, but a while ago, there were reports of major flaws in several of his cases (e.g. police perjury). Perhaps they were only confident in pinning one of the charges on him, so they decided to parlay that into an admission of guilt across the board?Rovin Romine said:
Presumably the DAs obtained the consent of the victims. There may well have been generous civil settlements/restitution. (Or perhaps all the cases had deep flaws?) Whatever it is, there's definitely something "more" to this. Most DAs wouldn't drop the ball on a media case of this nature. For 5 to do that strains credulity.
That said, he's probably a registered sex offender for life. He may also be facing the possibility of indefinite civil commitment after his criminal sentence expires. (Basically some states allow sexual offenders to be committed civilly as though they were mentally ill persons.) I can't be more detailed since it's a state level sanction, and depends on what CA, LA, NV, etc. have on their books.
I think it has more to do with the crimes he's committed than his former occupation. In my somewhat limited experience in the matter, fellow inmates give rapists extra attention. So if he doesn't spend all his sentence in PC he'll get the shit kicked out of him more than a few times.soxfan121 said:Where is the assumption that prison will be "a living hell" for an ex-athlete coming from? Oz?
The DA does have to balance a lot of factors when considering the justness of a plea - likelihood of conviction, victim, community, mitigating circumstances re: the defendant, and any other "soft" or collateral factors, such as the plea's result on civil cases, and "practical effect" of the plea. (One example of the last might be a circumstance where the state offered less time because there would be an automatic deportation/no re-entry at the conclusion of the sentence.)Marciano490 said:
Even so, the DA's duty isn't just to implement justice according to the victim's standards, but the community's as well and to protect the community from further threat through incarceration and deterrence. Even if the victims just wanted this over with and wanted to avoid testifying, the DAs still grossly let the communities down.
djbayko said:I don't have time to dig it up now, but a while ago, there were reports of major flaws in several of his cases (e.g. police perjury). Perhaps they were only confident in pinning one of the charges on him, so they decided to parlay that into an admission of guilt across the board?