ESPN Legal Analyst Condemns Duke Player's Assertion of Innocence as Attempt to Taint Jury Pool

ESPN/NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[Cementjungle]

I've never seen a defendant have a press conference before the trial even begins

It was very easy to miss the 7 trillion hours of Scott Peterson, on every network day in and day out, before his trial.

[Darnright]

>Although he failed to qualify in the draft, reportedly his name was shouted to get a team to pick him, and the Dolphins signed him in spite of his poor showing in training camp.<

http://www.roanoke.com/sports/profootball/wb/64237

Dolphins try Vick at receiver

The Miami Herald reported on its Web site that former Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick auditioned at receiver Sunday, the final day of the Miami Dolphins' three-day minicamp in Miami.

Vick, who was bypassed in the NFL Draft, hopes the Dolphins will sign him as a free agent.

Vick played quarterback in the minicamp Friday and Saturday, but did not take any snaps at that position Sunday, the Herald reported.

Coach Nick Saban said Sunday that no decisions have been made about players. Miami coaches and personnel department officials planned to meet Sunday or today to determine their final opinions, according to the report.

Vick "looked better at receiver than he did the previous two days at QB. But that doesn't mean he was good," Herald reporter Armando Salguero said on his blog Sunday on the Herald's Web site. "He made one really nice diving sideline grab during the seven-on-seven [session], but that only made up for an easy drop he had on a similar pattern several plays earlier.

"Unless they see a different player on tape than the one I saw on the field, Vick's Dolphins career is over."

[Jane Austen]

LOL

You obviously are dealing here with a person who does not operate with a full deck. No wonder she is a FORMER prosecutor.

[Jane Austen]

Thanks for the information. Today's Wash. Times had the Dolphins sign him as a free agent.

[OrinocoJack]

>the jury for these Duke players will be all black <

The Justice Dept will get involved for Civil Rights violations before these boys get an all-black jury. These are highly-paid lawyers for a reason.

[old and cranky]

As long as they don't get any OJ/Michael Jackson "I'm ashamed I'm white" jurors. I think an all black jury would be better than that.

[Carling]

It's significant because it's unprecedented. I've never seen a defendant have a press conference before the trial even begins.

This idiot "expert" forgot all about Kobe Bryant's press conference that was carried, LIVE, on about every network on my dial after he was indicted?????

[R. Scott]

Does this mean that assertions of their guilt are also an attempt to taint the jury pool?

[Carling]

You beat me to my Post 127. We couldn't expect ESPN's "legal expert" to remember the presser of arguably the most talented basketball player in the world, right? Does ESPN even cover sports anymore?

[Old Professer]

This sounds remarkably similar to an old Law and Order episode where the old rich bitch's lawyer out-pressed McCoy.

[muawiyah]

The picture of the entire team had been in the public record long before this happened. There's no way you could conduct any sort of line-up that would have made sense or, at the same time, passed judicial muster in most cases.

It was a "team party" and there's a "team picture". Testing the ability of the AV to identify assailants is only a small part of the line-up equation ~ finding the folks who are going to be accused of the crime is far more important.

In the end it won't matter. This ol'gal was primed to identify the guys she did somewhere between the time the call was made to the escort service and the time she had preparatory sex with her "boyfriend" or "pimp" or some guy on the prosecutor's staff, or whoever this guy is.

It's a scam, very similar in nature to the rape scams worked against major hotel chains but stopped by Disneyworld.

[VaFarmer]

This case ought to be called the "Scottsboro Revenge." The two cases seem so similar.

[apro]

Oh great, like it wasn't enough we have psycho beiawhcs like Wendy Murphy and Nancy Grace finding these guys guilty beyond any doubt BEFORE they go to trial, now we have the Zulu Queen in the mix too. How luveely. ;p

[Rainbow Rising]

No, no, silly! Evans wore a fake mustache of course. Part of the Duke LAX gang rape kit.

There are people who really believe this. In New York WLIB airs a late night talk show that discusses the black perspective. The Duke case is a very hot topic on this show, and a reporter named Cash Michael is frequently on to discuss the latest developments. He was on last night, talking about the Evans indictment and his declaration of innocence. The mustache subject came up, and this reporter said that Evans could have worn a fake mustache as a disguise. And the host took him seriously!

[beyond the sea]

ESPN ....... brought in its "legal analyst ..............I've never seen a defendant have a press conference before the trial even begins. . . It's tainting potential jurors

To quote Strother Martin as Percy Garris in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, "Morons, I've got morons on my team."

[alrea]

team

Neo-Reparations team: Victim, Pimp, MSM, NCCU, ESPN and DA.

[muawiyah]

Well, maybe that's what the host does when he goes out on rape romps eh?!

[dc27]

Probably referred to them by Stephen A. Hole, who is also from Philly.

I can't take Stephen A. Hole. All he does is bash the evil white man who is keeping blacks out of every sport there is.

[photodawg]

ESPN should stick to sports commentary and broadcasting of sporting events. Should not venture into law or politics.
////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Unfortunately legal commentary has become an integral part of sports as more athletes become part of the criminal justice system. they just need to get their legal perspectives more in line with the US Constitution.

[snarkytart]

Oh great, like it wasn't enough we have psycho beiawhcs like Wendy Murphy and Nancy Grace finding these guys guilty beyond any doubt BEFORE they go to trial, now we have the Zulu Queen in the mix too. How luveely. ;p
____

Oh yes, the DA is allowed to call the Duke players hooligans and rapists, and yet a young man cannot dare say he is innocent, even though the constitution gives him this presumption?

This is crazy.

Me thinks the press conference was mighty poignant and effective, and that's why the nutburgers have an issue with it.