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Chat Reel: SI's Lester Munson

Blood evidence, obstruction charge could seal Lewis' fate

Posted: Friday March 03, 2000 02:10 PM

On the heels of one of the most exciting NFL seasons ever, a star stands charged with murder and the league struggles to cope with its violent image. CNNSI.com examines the problem in this special report. The Stories  The Slayings | The Victims The Entourage Dealing with Violence Starting Young Your Reactions Multimedia  Video Box:  The NFL and Violence Boom Box:   NFL Players on Violence Interactive Chats  Chat Reel: SI's Lester Munson Chat Reel: SI's Frank Deford

CNNSI Host: Welcome to our special chat this afternoon with CNNSI.com legal analyst Lester Munson on the subject of violence in the NFL. Thanks for joining us, Lester!
Lester Munson: I'm happy to do it.

From Guest: What is your take on the whole Ray Lewis case? What's your sense of what happened?
Lester Munson: I believe that Lewis is in some significant trouble... the evidence gathered by the police, now in the hands of the DA includes evidence that connects him to the other two accused individuals. Two thugs, by any definition of the word thug, and they have formidable blood evidence. Blood in Ray Lewis' limousine and all over Lewis' hotel suite. When they finish with the DNA procedures, Lewis will have some serious difficulty getting out from under the murder charge. On top of all that is an obstruction of justice charge waiting to be filed, which will be a felony charge against him, because of the multiple lies he told the police early in the investigation before he was arrested. So he has major problems on his hands.

From Guest: What generally happens to a player's contract when he is charged with a crime?
Lester Munson: The contract is subject to the rules set up in the collective bargaining agreement between the players and the owners and is subject to the standards of behavior as established by the NFL. I am stunned and amazed that Ray Lewis has not been suspended. If you compare his case to the Rae Carruth murder case, Carruth was suspended when he fled the authorities. In my judgement, Lewis' lies to the authorities put him in the same category as Carruth. I would expect Art Modell, owner of the Ravens to suspend him, but that has not happened. It should happen.

From Guest: If the police can't connect Lewis to a weapon or place him in the fight, then what will happen?
Lester Munson: I have two responses. First, they will connect him to the fight. They have already connected him to one knife. If, however, that evidence should fall apart, then Ray Lewis remains the subject of other possible charges include obstruction of justice, possibly some level of manslaughter and perhaps others that the police and the DA will formulate.

From Guest: If the police have such a strong case, why was Lewis granted bail (and release)? And why are the other two co-defendants in jail?
Lester Munson: The strength of the police evidence and the strength of the prosecution's case are very small factors in bond. The only real issue in bail bond is "will the accused show up for the trial?" There is virtually no doubt that Ray Lewis will appear for this trial. He owns five houses, he has an extensive family, including his own siblings, whom he cares for, a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother, whom he supports. As his mother said in the bond hearing, "I know that Ray will never flee. He would not leave me, his mother, without any means of support." So the judge in Atlanta released him on bond because she knew that he would appear for the trial. She did not consider the strength of the police evidence. The prosecutor in the case, Clinton Rucker, did not present any evidence on the strength of his case. The other two defendants remain in jail because there is no similar guarantee that they will appear for the trial. They were fugitives for several days between the time of their indictment and the day they finally turned themselves into the authorities. Both have criminal records, both have failed to appear on previous occasions for court appearances. Both are very bad risks for bond. I expect them to sit in jail until the trial begins.

From Guest: Sports figures have the spotlight on them all the time. Are we all just over reacting to the recent problems? Carruth and Lewis both are alleged to have done serious crimes, but the majority of players and coaches are exceptional citizens.
Lester Munson: I believe that we, as a society, are under-reacting to the problem of misconduct among celebrity athletes. I believe that when someone like Rae Carruth or Ray Lewis is charged with murder, it should be on the front page of every American newspaper and should be the first or second story on every television newscast. It is incomprehensible to me that we have so low a standard of behavior for millionaire celebrity athletes. There is every reason in the world for them to behave as good citizens and when they do not, it is a major story to me.

From Guest: What will the NFL and the Ravens do if Lewis is convicted?
Lester Munson: If Lewis is convicted, the Ravens will terminate his contract. They would have the right to seek a refund of his signing bonus. The league would probably invent a new list, the "banned for life" list, of the National Football League. I don't think they have any such list right now. But that list is on the horizon.

From Guest: What do you make of the shots fired at the limo?
Lester Munson: I believe that during the altercation that resulted in the deaths of the two victims, there were several factions fighting. When Lewis and the others realized it was time to flee the scene, other citizens felt they should stay at the scene until the police arrived. Some of these citizens had been drinking, were carrying weapons, and the result was shots fired at Ray Lewis' limousine as he and others fled the scene of the murders. When the trial begins, I expect the police and the DA to have as witnesses, the individuals who shot at the limousine.

From Guest: Is the NFL violent crimes policy working? Is it a factor?
Lester Munson: I do not believe that the National Football League was ready for one murder case, much less two murder cases in a matter of several weeks. The initial reaction National Football League executives from Paul Tagliabue on down the ladder was to try to pretend that everything was fine and that this is not a major problem. I believe that, upon reflection, Commissioner Tagliabue and the other leaders within the NFL will realize that they have difficulties with this generation of players and they will seek more radical answers to these problems.

From Guest: In your opinion, how does violence in the NFL compare to violence in other sports - like hockey?
Lester Munson: I believe that off-the-field violence is a more significant problem in football than it is in the other sports. I do not know the reason for that. I believe it's a problem that deserves serious study and scrutiny. I believe that hockey players, off the ice, tend to be the most gentlemanly of all athletes. The Marty McSorley incident casts a terrible light on hockey players as a group. It is a grotesque and inexcusable action by McSorley, BUT when it comes to off-the-field behavior, I believe that football players tend to be in a category all alone with their different levels of misbehavior.

From Guest: Would you agree when a person works all day for so many years to overpower another person, that the mindset is going to leak over into their personal life? What can be done about that?
Lester Munson: I certainly believe that there is anecdotal evidence that the on-field violence of football carries over into off-the-field problems. I am confident that the National Football League, its owners and its coaches can solve this problem with training and education, but they cannot solve the problem until they first admit that the problem exists. That is the next step, which must be made.

From Guest: When a player goes through a scouting combine do they not get a psychological test done. If so, how thorough are they? If not, do they need them?
Lester Munson: There is psychological testing, both at the combine and by individual teams. The question is, how do the teams react to evidence of psychological problems. If you look at the case of Lawrence Phillips, you see a troubled young man in need of help. The reaction of the NFL was to see a promising running back. They did not attempt in any way to intervene in his life and offer the help that he needed. So they do complete the psychological tests, but the needs of the team and the desire to win preempt the result of the psychological testing.

From Guest: How do you think a player's entourage affects his behavior?
Lester Munson: I believe that the emergence of entourages and posses in professional sports is a negative and threatening development. Players are pampered and protected during high school and college years. The pampering and the protection leads to misbehavior in later years. An entourage or a posse only makes things worse. I know of nothing that leagues and owners can do to stop a player from traveling with an entourage or a posse. It is one of the prices we pay for a free society.

From Guest: What can be done to help NFL players (as well as college and high school players) to learn to control their emotions, yet still keep their competitive edge?
Lester Munson: I believe that the National Football League and other sports leagues should establish a curriculum of training, role-playing and other techniques to identify the problem for young athletes and to give them help in solving the problem. The unions and the leagues already offer training on finance and marketing and endorsements. It is time for the unions and the leagues to offer training on behavior and citizenship.

CNNSI Host: Thanks for joining us today, Lester.
Lester Munson: Happy to do it.

CNNSI Host: Great questions. Sorry we couldn't get to all them. You can follow CNNSI.com special report on violence in the NFL.

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