Lawyer of New England Patriots Brandon Meriweather says his client is innocent – NFL news
Adam Swickle, lawyer for New England Patriots’ Brandon Meriweather says that his client should not be called a suspect in a shooting incident that occurred on 28 February, 2011 in Apopka, Florida.
He told a local newspaper that Meriweather was a “peacekeeper” at the scene, where the 24-year-old Quentin Taylor was shot in the face and the 23-year-old Nico Stanley was grazed by a bullet.
“All of the witnesses confirmed that at no point did Brandon have a gun, or threaten to shoot, and did not shoot anyone,” Swickle told the newspaper.
Orange County Sheriff's department said that the safety had been at the scene on the night of the incident. However, Swickle told the newspaper that Robert Crispin, his investigator, has testimony that a witness saw another man threatening people with a
gun before the shooting.
Captain Angelo Nieves, Orange County Sheriff's department spokesman, said that they are not making any arrests or charges against anyone at the moment.
“We are not ready to characterize (Meriweather) in any other fashion,” Nieves said. “The investigation is continuing to move forward.”
The 27-year-old safety was picked in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft, 24th overall, by the New England Patriots. After a successful high school career in which he led Apopka High School in Florida to the Florida Class 6A state championship,
Meriweather went to the University of Miami. He injured his ankle after playing in three games and was given a medical redshirt by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for his freshman season.
The next year, Meriweather started his first games as a nickel back and ended the season with 22 tackles, five passes deflected and one interception. In 2004, he started only seven of the 12 games that he played in because of a recurring shoulder injury.
However, he was still given the team’s Hard Hitter Award after recording 62 tackles, two interceptions, five passes deflected, half a sack and two forced fumbles.
With the Patriots, Meriweather has started in 40 of the total 64 games that he has played in, recording 261 total tackles, two sacks, 27 passes deflected, 12 interceptions returned for a total of 213 yards and one touchdown and also five forced fumbles.
This is not the first time that Meriweather has made headlines because of violence, even though he is currently innocent until proven guilty. He was involved in an on-field fight at the University of Miami with Florida International players and then in an
incident about four months ago when police say that Meriweather fired upon an assailant who shot a Miami player. However, Meriweather was not charged because he used the firearm legally.
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