Gold Coast halfback Ashley Taylor can avoid an NRL suspension despite being charged with dangerous contact.

Taylor was on Monday slugged with a grade one offence for his 67th-minute incident with Wests Tigers second-rower Luke Garner on Sunday.

The charge attracts a 100-point penalty, however, Taylor will be free to face South Sydney on Saturday if he takes the early guilty plea.

 

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership. Watch every game Live & On-Demand with no-ad breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

 

Titans teammate Sam Lisone is in the same position as Taylor after being issued with a grade one dangerous contact charge.

Lisone is in hot water for his 15th-minute tackle on Adam Doueihi.

The other player charged from matches in round four was Parramatta centre Waqa Blake, a grade-one careless high tackle for his shot on Manly’s Danny Levi.

An early guilty plea will result in a $500 fine, which has been reduced to correlate with the pay cut the players have taken for the remainder of the season.

The normal figure for a grade one careless high tackle is $1500.

 

MATTY JOHNS PODCAST: The Six Again Rule, is it the end for The Storm’s reign and Round 4 preview.

 

 

Originally published as Judiciary: Titans duo charged for dangerous contact in win over Tigers

Gold Coast halfback Ashley Taylor can avoid an NRL suspension despite being charged with dangerous contact.

Taylor was on Monday slugged with a grade one offence for his 67th-minute incident with Wests Tigers second-rower Luke Garner on Sunday.

The charge attracts a 100-point penalty, however, Taylor will be free to face South Sydney on Saturday if he takes the early guilty plea.

 

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership. Watch every game Live & On-Demand with no-ad breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

 

Titans teammate Sam Lisone is in the same position as Taylor after being issued with a grade one dangerous contact charge.

Lisone is in hot water for his 15th-minute tackle on Adam Doueihi.

The other player charged from matches in round four was Parramatta centre Waqa Blake, a grade-one careless high tackle for his shot on Manly’s Danny Levi.

An early guilty plea will result in a $500 fine, which has been reduced to correlate with the pay cut the players have taken for the remainder of the season.

The normal figure for a grade one careless high tackle is $1500.

 

MATTY JOHNS PODCAST: The Six Again Rule, is it the end for The Storm’s reign and Round 4 preview.

 

 

Originally published as Judiciary: Titans duo charged for dangerous contact in win over Tigers

Gold Coast halfback Ashley Taylor can avoid an NRL suspension despite being charged with dangerous contact.

Taylor was on Monday slugged with a grade one offence for his 67th-minute incident with Wests Tigers second-rower Luke Garner on Sunday.

The charge attracts a 100-point penalty, however, Taylor will be free to face South Sydney on Saturday if he takes the early guilty plea.

 

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership. Watch every game Live & On-Demand with no-ad breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

 

Titans teammate Sam Lisone is in the same position as Taylor after being issued with a grade one dangerous contact charge.

Lisone is in hot water for his 15th-minute tackle on Adam Doueihi.

The other player charged from matches in round four was Parramatta centre Waqa Blake, a grade-one careless high tackle for his shot on Manly’s Danny Levi.

An early guilty plea will result in a $500 fine, which has been reduced to correlate with the pay cut the players have taken for the remainder of the season.

The normal figure for a grade one careless high tackle is $1500.

 

MATTY JOHNS PODCAST: The Six Again Rule, is it the end for The Storm’s reign and Round 4 preview.

 

 

Originally published as Judiciary: Titans duo charged for dangerous contact in win over Tigers

Gold Coast halfback Ashley Taylor can avoid an NRL suspension despite being charged with dangerous contact.

Taylor was on Monday slugged with a grade one offence for his 67th-minute incident with Wests Tigers second-rower Luke Garner on Sunday.

The charge attracts a 100-point penalty, however, Taylor will be free to face South Sydney on Saturday if he takes the early guilty plea.

 

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership. Watch every game Live & On-Demand with no-ad breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

 

Titans teammate Sam Lisone is in the same position as Taylor after being issued with a grade one dangerous contact charge.

Lisone is in hot water for his 15th-minute tackle on Adam Doueihi.

The other player charged from matches in round four was Parramatta centre Waqa Blake, a grade-one careless high tackle for his shot on Manly’s Danny Levi.

An early guilty plea will result in a $500 fine, which has been reduced to correlate with the pay cut the players have taken for the remainder of the season.

The normal figure for a grade one careless high tackle is $1500.

 

MATTY JOHNS PODCAST: The Six Again Rule, is it the end for The Storm’s reign and Round 4 preview.

 

 

Originally published as Judiciary: Titans duo charged for dangerous contact in win over Tigers

Gold Coast halfback Ashley Taylor can avoid an NRL suspension despite being charged with dangerous contact.

Taylor was on Monday slugged with a grade one offence for his 67th-minute incident with Wests Tigers second-rower Luke Garner on Sunday.

The charge attracts a 100-point penalty, however, Taylor will be free to face South Sydney on Saturday if he takes the early guilty plea.

 

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership. Watch every game Live & On-Demand with no-ad breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

 

Titans teammate Sam Lisone is in the same position as Taylor after being issued with a grade one dangerous contact charge.

Lisone is in hot water for his 15th-minute tackle on Adam Doueihi.

The other player charged from matches in round four was Parramatta centre Waqa Blake, a grade-one careless high tackle for his shot on Manly’s Danny Levi.

An early guilty plea will result in a $500 fine, which has been reduced to correlate with the pay cut the players have taken for the remainder of the season.

The normal figure for a grade one careless high tackle is $1500.

 

MATTY JOHNS PODCAST: The Six Again Rule, is it the end for The Storm’s reign and Round 4 preview.

 

 

Originally published as Judiciary: Titans duo charged for dangerous contact in win over Tigers

Hundreds remained on the streets of Minneapolis late Wednesday night protesting the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died after pleading for help as a police officer pinned him to the ground with his knee on Floyd’s neck.

The demonstrations, which began Wednesday, were initially peaceful but turned “extremely dangerous,” according to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

“The situation near Lake Street and Hiawatha in Minneapolis has evolved into an extremely dangerous situation,” Walz said on Twitter. “For everyone’s safety, please leave the area and allow firefighters and paramedics to get to the scene.”

Police officers created a barrier outside the police precinct that protesters have been targeting, smashing its windows by throwing items including water bottles. Authorities have responded by shooting tear gas.

Across the street from the precinct, the fire department was responding to an AutoZone store in flames, according to a CNN team on the ground. Groups of demonstrators looted and damaged stores in the surrounding areas, according to CNN’s observations.

An attorney representing Floyd’s family, Benjamin Crump, said in a statement Wednesday that he and Floyd’s relatives are calling for peaceful protests and social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“We cannot sink to the level of our oppressors, and we must not endanger others during this pandemic,” the statement said. “We will demand and ultimately force lasting change by shining a light on treatment that is horrific and unacceptable and by winning justice.”

The four officers involved in Floyd’s death were fired from the department Tuesday, Minneapolis police said.

The officers involved in the incident were identified by Minneapolis police as: Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, according to the police website.

An attorney for Chauvin, says his client is the officer seen on video restraining Floyd with his knee. Tom Kelly says he will not yet be releasing a statement on Chauvin’s behalf.

Thomas Plunkett, who is representing Kueng said, “At this time, out of respect for Mr. Floyd, we are declining all invitations to discuss these painful events.”

Earl Gray is representing another of the officers involved but has declined to say who his client is.

CNN has not determined the attorney for the fourth officer.

Minneapolis mayor calls for charges

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday called for criminal charges against the police officer who was seen pinning Floyd to the ground with his knee in an incident that is spurring street protests and local and federal investigations.

“What I can say with certainty, based on what I saw, is that … the officer who had his knee on the neck of George Floyd should be charged,” Frey said in a news conference Wednesday.

Frey declined to say what the officer should be charged with, and said his knowledge is “limited to the video evidence that is there” about Floyd, a black man. He said he made his opinion known to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, whose office would be in position to file state charges.

“George Floyd deserves justice. His family deserves justice. The black community deserves justice, and our city deserves justice,” Frey said.

No charges have been filed in the case.

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo declined to discuss Floyd’s death on Wednesday but said the actions of the former police officers “in no way reflect the values, and the vision and the culture” he wants to change in the police department.

Officers should be charged with murder, family says

Floyd worked security at Conga Latin Bistro in Minneapolis for five years, according to its owner, Jovanni Thunstrom.

The 46-year-old Houston native moved to Minneapolis for work and to drive trucks, his friend and former NBA player, Stephen Jackson said.

Members of Floyd’s family remembered him as a man who wouldn’t “hurt anybody.” The family wants the four officers charged with murder.

“They were supposed to be there to serve and to protect and I didn’t see a single one of them lift a finger to do anything to help while he was begging for his life. Not one of them tried to do anything to help him,” Tera Brown, Floyd’s cousin, told CNN’s Don Lemon on Tuesday.

‘I can’t breathe’

Floyd was arrested Monday evening after officers responded to a call about an alleged forgery in progress.

The officers were told the suspect was sitting on top of a blue car, Minneapolis police say, and found Floyd inside a car when they arrived.

Police said he “physically resisted” after he got out of the vehicle. Officers handcuffed Floyd, who police said “appeared to be suffering medical distress.”

Video from bystanders shows Floyd handcuffed and Chauvin with his knee pressed against the neck of the 46-year-old. Two officers handled the man on the ground while another stood nearby with his eyes on the bystanders as traffic passed.

“Please, I can’t breathe,” Floyd says. “… My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts.”

At one point the Floyd said, “Give me some water or something. Please. Please.”

Surveillance video obtained from a nearby restaurant showed the first point of contact police had with the man. An officer escorts Floyd handcuffed out of a car and Floyd sits on the sidewalk. Moments later, the officer and another escort Floyd away, still with his hands behind his back.

Floyd was declared dead at a nearby hospital shortly afterwards. A finding on the cause and manner of Floyd’s death is pending and it is being investigated by local, state and federal law enforcement, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office said.

In a statement on Tuesday, police said additional information had “been made available” and the Federal Bureau of Investigation had joined the investigation.

The FBI Minneapolis Division has said the federal investigation into Floyd’s death will focus on whether the police officers “willfully deprived (Floyd) of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.

Officers’ attorneys had represented other Minnesota officers in high-profile deaths

The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis said Tuesday the four officers were cooperating in an investigation and urged “now is not the time to rush to (judgment)” while the officers’ actions are examined.

At least three of the fired officers are being represented by attorneys who previously represented other police officers involved in high-profile killings in Minnesota.

Chauvin’s attorney, Kelly, represented then-St. Anthony police Officer Jeronimo Yanez, who shot and killed Philando Castile during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights in July 2016. A jury found Yanez not guilty of manslaughter; Castile’s family and his girlfriend reached settlements with various cities.

Gray, like Kelly, had represented Yanez.

Plunkett was involved in the defense of Minneapolis police Officer Mohamed Noor, who was convicted of third-degree murder and manslaughter for shooting and killing Justine Ruszczyk while responding to her 911 call in July 2017.

Floyd’s death ‘it’s like déjà vu’

Monday’s incident is forcing Gwen Carr to relive the death of her son Eric Garner, who also uttered the words “I can’t breathe” while in a New York officer’s chokehold.

“It’s hard enough we’re coming up on the anniversary of my son’s death, and now to hear about this young man, it’s like déjà vu,” Carr told CNN. “It’s just like the murder of my son all over again. He was basically the same age as Eric.”

The officer who choked Garner in 2014 never faced charges. He was fired in 2019 after being found guilty in a disciplinary trial of using a chokehold on Garner and later sued the city over his termination.

NBA superstar LeBron James, Cleveland Browns player Odell Beckham Jr. and other athletes have voiced their outrage over Floyd’s death.

Canberra Raiders forward Joseph Tapine has been charged with a dangerous throw but can avoid suspension with an early guilty plea.

Tapine was hit with a grade one charge for a tackle on Titans prop Ryan James in the 68th minute of the Raiders’ win over the Gold Coast.

The second-rower risks a one-match ban if he fights the charge at the judiciary and loses, but can accept 90 carryover points with an early guilty plea.

He was the only player charged by the match review committee from Saturday’s round nine NRL matches.

 

Brad Augustine was described and profiled by Yahoo! Sports as “the most dangerous man in college basketball” just six months ago; now, that dangerous man is skating on any punishment for his alleged crimes.

The FBI dropped its charges against Augustine in February, and did not announce a reason for that decision. According to an attorney representing former Adidas executive Jim Gatto, who spoke in court two weeks ago, Augustine kept money paid to him by Adidas executives (and one FBI agent pretending to be a shoe-company official). That money was supposed to be passed on to the families of some of the nation’s top high school basketball players, per an April 4 report in the Washington Post.

Augustine ran the 1-Family AAU program in Florida, and convinced Adidas that he had the ability to influence the college decisions of his players. Once Augustine gained the trust of the giant shoe company, he told them he could act as middle man, running the cash between the company and the athlete’s family so as to keep Adidas out of the NCAA’s crosshairs. Those under-the-table payments were supposed to steer players top-flight players to sign with one of the college basketball programs that the sneaker companies sponsor and outfit.

After the FBI caught wind of this through wiretapping and other surveillance, they tracked Augustine down and set up a sting. An undercover agent met with him and handed him $12,700, with the intention being that the agency would nail Augustine when he passed that money to 1Family player Balsa Koprivica in order to convince Koprivica to commit to Louisville. (Again, why that act—paying someone what amounts to a signing bonus for their agreement to play for a specific team—is problematic or illegal is another question entirely.) Koprivica never got that money, but the FBI charged and arrested Augustine on wire fraud charges anyway. Those charges might have stuck, too, if Augustine wasn’t as much of a greaseball as the rest of the people involved in the shady underground economy created by the NCAA’s amateurism racket.

If you go by the rules set by the NCAA, as the FBI is, then cutting Augustine loose makes sense—he didn’t do the illegal thing he was paid to do. More broadly, though, the whole scenario is maddening. Augustine was potentially facing 80 years on wire fraud charges resulting from a lengthy and costly investigation by the FBI; at the risk of belaboring the obvious, taxpayer dollars funded all this. At the risk of belaboring it further, that’s 80 years in prison for being a middle man and handing cash—an endorsement from Adidas, if we’re calling both the payments and the NCAA’s arcane amateurism bylaws what they are—to a potential college athlete. Now, because Augustine did not deliver the payment to the deserving athlete’s family and kept it for himself, and because the FBI has chosen to hump amateurism into the fucking dirt, Augustine gets away without any penalty.

It’s scuzzy and inept on all sides and all the way down, but the Augustine case also amounts to another argument for regulating the economy of youth sports. There’s no sense in pretending that this (huge) shadow economy doesn’t exist; the only thing that’s changed is that now that the NCAA’s sporting a black eye in the form of the FBI investigation, the NCAA wants everything to do with regulating youth sports. Given the makeup of their toothless, star-studded committee tasked with “fixing” college basketball, I’d say an organization other than the NCAA is probably better suited for the task, but as of now, such an organization does not exist. So, then, the task loops back to the NCAA. Based on its past actions, it seems likely that the NCAA would just establish a youth wing that would function as an extension of the pro-amateurism body. This would almost certainly leave Augustine in the exact same spot had the NCAA conducted the investigation.

Until such time as an alternative organization exists—and I’m not holding my breath—assholes like Augustine will continue to take advantage of players and their families, and universities, shoe companies, agents, AAU coaches, and prep fixers will continue to mine every cent those players can make them. So of course Brad Augustine got away with it. “Getting away with it” is the name of this particular game.