🏈 The continuing saga of Johnathan Taylor

[It Takes Eleven]

Another point of view I found posted on another site:
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I've shared before that I worked in an emergency room for a couple of summers while I was in college. I've seen a lot of DV victims recant, some with and some without obvious injuries. Many who recanted were probably liars on the front end, getting their significant others in trouble as revenge for some perceived slight. But others accused, recanted, then explained their flip as some form of, "well, I can't really afford to lose him because he financially supports me, is the father of my kids," etc. At the very least, Taylor's accuser's credibility is now shot. Whether he did or didn't assault her, the chances he'd ever get prosecuted for an non-aggravated DV charge against that particular woman is pretty much nil going forward, and certainly nil for the purposes of this case.

Having said all that, let's assume for argument's sake that she was just a spiteful ol' thing and made up the whole story because she caught him looking at another woman. Do you bring Taylor back?

Hell, how can you not?

I've got a real problem with false accusations, and I'm sure I'm not alone. If we look at this strictly through the lens of the legal process, there's not a lot of justification for costing Taylor his Alabama career based upon a lie. You can make the argument that Alabama never should have signed him in the first place, but that's a different argument and doesn't apply here.

The wild card in this is no one knows what (if anything) was said when UA met with (if they even did meet with) Taylor following the arrest. I know if I had been falsely accused and knew that my career was about to end, you'd have to get me off the top of Denny Chimes, because I'd be up there with a megaphone proclaiming my innocence. I'd have nothing left to lose at that point. It's very possible that Saban asked him if he did it and he said, "I didn't do what she said I did, but yeah, we scrapped a little," and at that point, the answer to the do-you-bring-him-back argument doesn't depend on the actual case anymore.

But if we find out in the end that this was a total fabrication from the ground up, I can't find the argument to get rid of the guy once you've already decided you could take him in the first place.

This is certainly a sticky wicket, if the facts come out that Taylor was completely set up.

I, too, spent my college years working at a hospital, for me as an orderly working at a county hospital (Shelby Medical Center in Alabaster) from 16 to 48 hours per week. I did the sorts of things female nurses didn't do with male patients in the 80's, but I spent the bulk of my time in ER or surgery. For over a year in one stretch, I worked 16 hour shifts every Saturday and Sunday. I've seen most everything, including the fallout from a good number of pool cue and knife fights, and I've made the mistake of putting just a curtain between fight participants who came into the ER about 45 minutes apart. All hell broke loose when they realized they were co-located. I've seen many drug seekers (as patients AND co-workers, unfortunately), and I've also seen the sad spectacle of domestic violence. Victims do see themselves as trapped and are prone to recant. I've also seen vindictive, crazy as hell partners wanting to inflict as much pain as possible on a person that could've been innocent. It's a tough call, and rarely clear cut.

RTR,

Tim

 

[BAMANEWSBOT]

Jonathan Taylor's lawyer hopes client is reinstated to Alabama football team after accuser...

With a court date looming in Georgia, these are complicated times for Jonathan Taylor's legal matters.

Set to be arraigned Tuesday in Athens, Ga., on felony charges dating back to 2014 a domestic violence arrest, the former Alabama football player's Tuscaloosa case took a turn Wednesday. Three days after being dismissed from the Crimson Tide football team, his accuser on a separate domestic violence case recanted her story.

It was Taylor's arrest Saturday that led to Nick Saban's swift decision to remove him from the roster. But Taylor's attorney in the Georgia case said reinstatement to the Alabama program should be considered.

"I certainly would hope so," Athens attorney Kim Stephens told AL.com on Wednesday evening. "My thought, from an outside perspective, in light of all the backlash, that coach Saban and university took as a result of the false accusations that were made and the removal from the team, I think it would be hard for him to take (Taylor) back on the team in spite of the recantation.

"But I think fairness would dictate that they'd reconsider and at least talk to the accuser or former accuser in the case, then make a decision based on that."

A spokesman for Alabama's football team said Wednesday morning he was unsure if reinstatement was possible in light of the news.

Taylor's 24-year old girlfriend had marks on her neck from Saturday's alleged incident, according to the police report. But she changed her story Monday and was arrested Tuesday for filing a false report. The misdemeanor domestic violence charges have not been dropped and the Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit will continue the investigation.

The recantation of accusations should help Taylor in the short term in the Georgia case. Stephens said before the Tuscaloosa accuser changed her story, there was a possibility the state could have revoked his bond and sent him to jail pending trial. It's still in the realm of possibilities, but less likely in light of Wednesday's news.

"Obviously (Taylor's) concerned," Stephens said. "He's upset as anyone would be when they've been accused of doing something they didn't do and the ramifications in light of his circumstances are huge. Not only has he been removed from the football team, he could be expelled from college, which would compromise his future. He could be prohibited from pursuing a professional career if he's good enough to do that."

Back in Georgia, the felony aggravated assault and domestic violence case also remains. Prosecutors could use the Tuscaloosa case as evidence in the initial trial, so the outcome is crucial. Taylor will enter a not-guilty plea at Tuesday's arraignment.

"I would hope that we could get something worked out," Stephens said. "But if we can't and it goes all the way to a trial, it could take anywhere from nine months to 18 months before it ever reached that point."

That July 2014 arrest led to his dismissal from the Georgia football team. He played at a junior college last fall before arriving at Alabama in January. Saban defended giving Taylor a second chance while setting strict guidelines to for him to stay on the team.


Continue reading...

 

[sean]

one thing that keeps crossing my mind is what Jonathan Taylor said about these latest charges.

or rather, what he didn't say.

i never once read or heard where he disputed those charges or said anything to contradict what the "victim" alleged.

i'm not saying i want him to be guilty or anything like that, it's just something that keeps crossing my mind.

 

[planomateo]

Wow. Lawsuit for loss of future wages, jail time, and forced to work at a battered womens shelter for a year seems fitting.

Damn if punany isn't some powerful shit...

The accuser told police she "used her hands to cause the bruises around her neck," according to the documents.

She also said the damage officers saw to a door in her residence was done prior to Saturday night.

Her explanation to officers was that she was seeking revenge on Taylor, who she suspected was cheating on her again after cheating on her in December, according to the documents.

 

[PhillyGirl]

He has been expelled. Not eligible for future re-admission.

 

[TerryP]

He has been expelled. Not eligible for future re-admission.

Semantics are important here.

 

[psychojoe]

In my former career with the federal government I knew a man who was quite bright and well thought of. He was promoted a job that bored him to tears and left him with a lot of time om his hands. He figured a way to get around the office's filters on its computer network, and started to access porn sites. He was caught originally by a periodic audit f sites accessed, and was reprimanded. Thinking it was unlikely that he would be caught again, he repeated the activity and was caught when his boss entered his office unnoticed. This time he received a two week suspension without pay, and was warned to walk the straight and narrow from then on. He was also demoted to his old job. About a year later he was caught again, this time for checking out the electronic version of the SI swimsuit issue. This would normally not be a serious offense, since he was viewing this during his lunch period. He was, however, using a government computer, so the powers that be came down on him hard. He avoided firing only because he took early retirement.

Taylor, relative to his first two offenses, apparently did nothing wrong this time, if you believe the accuser's retraction. In view of the retraction, unless there is some additional evidence we don't know about, it is highly likely that he will be acquitted. The crime of getting involved with a vindictive woman was his undoing. Likebeing accused of something is not the my former co-worker, a relatively minor incident has caused him to be shown the door. If you want to argue that he should not have committed the first two acts I could not agree more. If/when he deals with his legal matters in Georgia, I hope he can resume his life and pursue his pro-football dreams.

The media frenzy around this situation, with the harsh judgments on Jonathan Taylor and the attacks on those who approved allowing Taylor a chance reminds me all too clearly of the ugly reactions in Ferguson this summer. Next time, perhaps, we will remember that being accused of something is not the same thing as being guilty of it, and we will remember that the accused is given a presumption of innocence in our legal system.