Billick explains Ravens’ decision to rally around Ray Lewis

If the Ravens’ qualification for Super Bowl XLVII dusted off long-forgotten memories of the alleged involvement of Ray Lewis in a double murder, the Aaron Hernandez situation has sandblasted them.  And with the Patriots dumping Hernandez the moment he was arrested in connection with the death of Odin Lloyd, the contrast between the respective approaches of the two franchises to situation involving murder became as sharp as possible.
While many believe the Patriots must have had access to inside information about the Hernandez investigation at the time he was cut, the more accurate assumption would be that the Patriots decided early in the process, without the benefit of any specific intelligence about the case, that no employee arrested in connection with a murder investigation is fit to remain employed by the team.
The Ravens came to the exact opposite conclusion.  The man who coached the team at the time, Brian Billick, recently compiled an exhaustive explanation of the team’s reasoning and approach to the Lewis situation.
Billick explains that the team’s decision to rally around Lewis arose from their faith in his “overall innocence.”  In so doing, Billick implies that the Patriots had no faith in Hernandez’s innocence.
But Lewis was hardly “innocent.”  Lewis wouldn’t have been arrested, charged, and prosecuted based on no evidence.  Prosecutors routinely walk away from trying to secure a conviction under the very high standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt if they believe that the evidence, while pointing to the defendant’s guilt, nevertheless creates an opening for an “if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit” concoction of enough doubt to secure an acquittal.  Moreover, judges don’t allow cases to go to trial absent the existence of enough evidence to allow a reasonable jury to conclude that the high bar of proof beyond a reasonable doubt had been met.
For Ray Lewis, the prosecutor eventually decided to cut a deal, and Lewis decided not to tell the prosecutor to pound sand/salt/whatever and force the trial to a verdict.  This wasn’t a case where the charges were dropped with no strings attached.  Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in order to escape the far more serious charge of murder.
The Ravens had no qualms about welcoming back to the team without suspension or other punishment (other than the $250,000 fine imposed by the league) a man who pleaded guilty to obstructing justice in a murder case.  New England’s swift and decisive action regarding Hernandez this week amounts to a clear statement that, even if Hernandez had simply lied to the police or concealed evidence regarding a murder, any alleged wrongdoing regarding a murder provides enough reason to move on.
Right or wrong, the Ravens treated Ray Lewis far differently than the Patriots treated Hernandez.  And while it seems that Billick may be trying in artful fashion to soften some of the harsh, inescapable realities the Ray Lewis case, the fact remains that the Ravens had no qualms about embracing and defending a man who clearly had enough involvement to result in a judge allowing a murder trial to proceed, and in Lewis eventually entering a guilty plea for a crime related to the killings.  The Patriots, in contrast, opted to have no further involvement with anyone who had done anything, actually or allegedly, that would get him arrested in connection with the intentional death of another human.
For each organization, it sets a precedent that they surely hope they’ll never have to use in a similar case.

Source: PFT.com
Author: Mike Florio
Photo: KIMBERLY SMITH, AFP Getty Images

Police found discarded gun near Hernandez’s home, but not the murder weapon

Wednesday’s arraignment of Aaron Hernandez unfolded quickly, with audio of fairly mediocre quality carrying words that flowed quickly from prosecutor Bill McCauley.  Absent a transcript, which we have yet to obtain or locate online, the best (only) way to fully process everything that was said is to listen to the audio from the hearing, repeatedly.
It became obvious during the live proceedings that police have not recovered the murder weapon.  After listening to the arraignment a few more times, it became clear that police found a different weapon on the path between the industrial park where Odin Lloyd was murdered and Hernandez’s home.
Specifically, police discovered roughly one-quarter mile from Hernandez’s home a Jennings .22, a handgun firing ammunition much smaller than the .45-caliber bullets that struck Lloyd.  The Jennings .22 was loaded, and when police searched Hernandez’s home they found matching ammunition, but no .22-caliber gun.
In May, Hernandez had an incident with a Jets fan in Providence.  Another man discarded a gun under a car.  That gun and the gun found by police near Hernandez’s home were both purchased at the same gun store in Florida.
Coupled with surveillance video that, according to McCauley, showed Hernandez and one of the other two men carrying guns that appeared to be larger-caliber weapons, the authorities seem to believe that each of the three men had a gun when Lloyd was shot, that the man with the Jennings .22 didn’t fire on Lloyd, and that the .22 was ditched (possibly thrown out the window of the car) while the three men drove from the industrial park back to Hernandez’s home.
This explains the decision to search the pond and wooded area near Hernandez’s home on Monday with metal detectors.  They were looking — and apparently still are looking — for the larger-caliber gun(s) that were used to kill Lloyd.

Source: PFT.com
Author: Mike Florio
Photo from EuroWeb.com

Ravens take swing at Miami fans, miss badly

Finally, the Ravens have done something that fairly can be characterized as dumb.
On Tuesday, the team tweeted a taunt to Miami, proclaiming “BALTIMORE sure knows how to throw a party!!!” and posting side-by-side photos of the post-championship celebration crowds in South Florida for the Heat parade and in Baltimore for the Ravens’ Super Bowl celebration.
The message from the stark contrast is clear.  Miami fans were apathetic about the local basketball team’s second straight title, and Baltimore fans showed passion and euphoria for their football team’s Super Bowl win.
As explained by Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens ignored that 400,000 fans turned out for the Heat’s parade, twice as many as Baltimore had for the Ravens’ march through town.  Vensel also linked to a variety of Twitter pictures showing a deep, thick sea of fans along the Heat’s parade route.
It’s the second time in less than three months that the Ravens twisted tails on its social media accounts.  In early April, the team took at shot at the Orioles, with this Facebook message:  “Raise your hand if you’d rather be cheering in THIS stadium than a baseball stadium today!”  The Ravens later apologized to the Orioles.
The Ravens have yet to apologize to Miami fans.  Of course, we can only assume Miami fans have still not properly thanked the Ravens for allowing the Dolphins to avoid an 0-16 season in 2007.

Source: PFT.com
Author: Mike Florio
AP Photo

Bishop could play inside and/or outside with the Vikings

It has been assumed that linebacker Desmond Bishop will compete with Erin Henderson for the starting job in the middle.
Not so, said Bishop on Tuesday’s PFT Live.
“Oh, they told me that all the positions were interchangeable so, you know, nothing is set in stone.  I feel like I’m versatile, I could play
middle or the two outsides, so you kind of see how that unfolds during training camp,” Bishop said.
Bishop also pointed out that, even though he became a starter in Green Bay with a 3-4 defense, he has plenty of experience in the 4-3.
For the entire segment, including a motivation for picking Minnesota that will make Vikings fans happy, go to Pro Football Talk.

Source: PFT.com
Author: Mike Florio
Photo: Jake Roth, US-Presswire