Dolphin 'distraction'

Domestic violence case clouds Rodgers' fine season

In the middle of a splendid season on the field, Miami Dolphins linebacker Derrick Rodgers is still trying to clean up an embarrassing mess off the field.

Last Sunday, Rodgers helped the Dolphins defense limit the Chargers to 144 yards in total offense. The day before, he and his lawyers had met with NFL officials to discuss an incident Rodgers was involved in during the offseason.

A statement made by Rodgers' wife, Kareff, claims the trouble started on the eve of training camp last summer when Derrick suspected that she was up to something. On July 18, armed with a Panasonic digital palmcorder, Rodgers cruised South Beach on his motorcycle. He found Kareff seated at a table at an outdoor cafe on Ocean Drive with 19-year-old Will Peguero, a college student.

According to documents released by the prosecutors, Rodgers approached Kareff and Peguero, upended their table, and screamed at Peguero, "What's your name? You're chilling with my wife? Do you know who I am?" Rodgers then allegedly clubbed Peguero with a chair, opening a wound on his head that required several stitches.

"Are you f------ this guy?" Derrick demanded of Kareff. As she bent to pick up her purse, witnesses told police, Rodgers kicked and punched her in the chest. As a crowd formed, he yelled, "What would you do if you caught your wife cheating? You'd smack her around, wouldn't you? Mind your own business. She's my wife."

Rodgers continued his tirade as the Miami Beach police arrived, according to witnesses. He then threatened the police officers on the scene and fought to avoid being restrained with handcuffs. When he had finally been subdued and then booked, he found himself facing charges of domestic violence, battery and resisting arrest. In addition to the criminal charges filed against him, Rodgers now faces a civil damages suit filed by Peguero, who is seeking compensation for his injuries as well as punitive damages.

But fortunately for Derrick and the Dolphins, the whole thing may soon come to a quiet end.

A quiet end is certainly what Kareff wants. She says she managed to sort things out with Derrick before he left for training camp. Neither Derrick nor Kareff has filed for divorce. They have been married 17 months and have a 3-year-old son.

We don't know exactly what she told Derrick, but we do know what she told the police officers who investigated the case. In a 56-page statement, she insisted that Derrick misunderstood the situation. It was just an accident that she was sitting with Peguero at a trendy restaurant, she said. She admitted that she had known Peguero for four weeks, and that she knew exactly where he lived, the kind of car he drove (a white Mitsubishi Eclipse) and his cell phone number. Kareff also said she visited Peguero at his home while Derrick was trying to work his way out of jail.

Kareff said it was all a misunderstanding. She theorized for investigators that NFL players frequently feel insecure about leaving their wives at home alone when they leave for camp. She thought this might account for Rodgers' behavior.

There was nothing going on between her and Peguero, she insisted. She was too "well known" to be meeting another man in a public place, she said. "People know who I am. It's not like I go someplace and I don't run into somebody that knows me, knows [Derrick], knows me from the media or whatever. I've been asked for my autograph many times."

"Why would a young man like Peguero be hanging around?" the investigators asked.

"He was basically trying to get close to me, trying to form a relationship with me, and, therefore, trying to get other stuff from me," Kareff said. "I guess the benefits that come along with being Kareff Rodgers' friend, which means a lot of things, actually. If you're friends with me, you -- how can I put it? -- you get the advantages of driving around in a $135,000 Mercedes-Benz, going to nightclubs and going in VIP with Kareff, hanging out in her $1.5 million house with her in her pool and playing pool in her house. You get these luxuries."

"Did Derrick punch you in the chest as the witnesses say?" the police asked.

"No. You want to know why? I had breast implants," Kareff replied. "Recently. Very recently. If he would have hit me in my chest, something would have happened. If a 230-pound man, 6-foot-2, punched me in my chest [near my] breast implants ... use your imagination. Don't you think it would have ruptured something or bruised something or done some kind of damage?"

Dade County Assistant State Attorney Herbert Walker has offered a plea agreement that would allow Rodgers to avoid jail time. Under the agreement, Rodgers would serve five years of probation, attend 26 weeks of domestic violence classes, perform 100 hours of community service, send written apologies to Peguero and to the police, pay Peguero's medical bills and make a $500 donation to a domestic violence prevention program. Rodgers' lawyer, Edward O'Donnell, has not agreed to all aspects of the deal, but O'Donnell says he expects to have things settled by next week.

It might not be a bad deal for Derrick. It's certainly a good deal for Kareff. But what will Derrick be worrying about while he's going to domestic violence class and doing all those hours of community service? Will another guy approach the "well known" Kareff looking to enjoy her company, the car, the big house, the pool, the clubs, the luxuries, and the advantages?

Sports Illustrated legal analyst Lester Munson regularly holds court on sports law and business matters on CNNSI.com.