Taylor should take deal

[Sociofan]

Originally Posted by paulskinsfan

The question is, why not put a felony on his record? What does the kid lose? He's a millionaire, so what if he can't vote or own a gun, hell, he'd be better off not owning a gun with his temperment. If he was an average joe, then maybe, but what is the downside to accepting the plea?

I think the thing that stuns me most about your response is how cavalier it is. Setting aside his temper on the field (spitting is nowhere near a felony), Taylor strikes me as somewhat of a stand up guy with a lot of pride. His dad is a police officer and Taylor studied Criminology in college. He has a lot more at stake than just a "mark on the record." He has to live with himself.

Having a felony criminal record is pretty significant. While Taylor may "have his millions", he might want to do something with his life after football. He might even want to be a police detective and follow his dad or he might want to start a business. I doubt he'll just sit around and get fat. But in the 'real world', that felony record becomes significant. Police officer with a felony gun charge? Not likely. Business line of credit with a felony gun charge? Nothing reputable will work there either.

If Taylor's legal team believes they can beat this charge, they should make that effort. I do not condone Sean's response of personally going after the guys who stole his ATV, but the truth is, I might have done the same. Both of us should likely have called the police in that situation.

If you really believe that having a felony on your record is no big deal, just talk to all the guys who grew up and realized that it is a serious deal.

[paulskinsfan]

Originally Posted by Sociofan

I think the thing that stuns me most about your response is how cavalier it is. Setting aside his temper on the field (spitting is nowhere near a felony), Taylor strikes me as somewhat of a stand up guy with a lot of pride. His dad is a police officer and Taylor studied Criminology in college. He has a lot more at stake than just a "mark on the record." He has to live with himself.

Having a felony criminal record is pretty significant. While Taylor may "have his millions", he might want to do something with his life after football. He might even want to be a police detective and follow his dad or he might want to start a business. I doubt he'll just sit around and get fat. But in the 'real world', that felony record becomes significant. Police officer with a felony gun charge? Not likely. Business line of credit with a felony gun charge? Nothing reputable will work there either.

If Taylor's legal team believes they can beat this charge, they should make that effort. I do not condone Sean's response of personally going after the guys who stole his ATV, but the truth is, I might have done the same. Both of us should likely have called the police in that situation.

If you really believe that having a felony on your record is no big deal, just talk to all the guys who grew up and realized that it is a serious deal.

Yeah, its really affected Martha Stewart. C'mon, you do not risk it. If he gets convicted he's looking at a minimum of 3 years, and no one is going to sign him to a NFL contract when he's been out of the league for 3 years! From a financial standpoint he'd be dumb not to take the deal. He's one of the best safeties in football and he will make another BIG payday before he retires.

[Paintrain]

Originally Posted by Sociofan

I think the thing that stuns me most about your response is how cavalier it is. Setting aside his temper on the field (spitting is nowhere near a felony), Taylor strikes me as somewhat of a stand up guy with a lot of pride. His dad is a police officer and Taylor studied Criminology in college. He has a lot more at stake than just a "mark on the record." He has to live with himself.

Having a felony criminal record is pretty significant. While Taylor may "have his millions", he might want to do something with his life after football. He might even want to be a police detective and follow his dad or he might want to start a business. I doubt he'll just sit around and get fat. But in the 'real world', that felony record becomes significant. Police officer with a felony gun charge? Not likely. Business line of credit with a felony gun charge? Nothing reputable will work there either.

If Taylor's legal team believes they can beat this charge, they should make that effort. I do not condone Sean's response of personally going after the guys who stole his ATV, but the truth is, I might have done the same. Both of us should likely have called the police in that situation.

If you really believe that having a felony on your record is no big deal, just talk to all the guys who grew up and realized that it is a serious deal.

I completely agree.. To suggest he should take a plea to a felony just so he can play for your favorite team is beyond selfish..

What happens if he takes a plea and suffers a career ending injury?? He'd be a 23 year old convicted felon who can't get a job in a whole bunch of industries because of that, can't vote in a presidential election, can't get lines of credit, etc. Not worth it!

[paulskinsfan]

Originally Posted by Paintrain

I completely agree.. To suggest he should take a plea to a felony just so he can play for your favorite team is beyond selfish..

What happens if he takes a plea and suffers a career ending injury?? He'd be a 23 year old convicted felon who can't get a job in a whole bunch of industries because of that, can't vote in a presidential election, can't get lines of credit, etc. Not worth it!

Yo Paintrain, I never said he should take the plea just so he could play for my favorite team, I said that if he has a proposed deal which would get him out of this mess with no jail time then he should take it rather than roll the dice with a jury. If he gets a "career ending injury" well then he has his signing bonus and insurance money. If you think its "not worth it" think again! PLENTY of innocent people are sitting in jail for crimes they did not commit. If you have your freedom, you have life, its just now worth a roll of the dice if you have a plea in place to avoid jail time. Id tell that to any criminal defendant, not just Sean Taylor!