The San Diego Chargers have issued a statement regarding the Sunday morning arrest of star linebacker Shawne Merriman, who allegedly committed battery and false imprisonment against Tila Tequila Nguyen.
“It’s disappointing to hear about the issue involving Shawne Merriman,” G.M. A.J. Smith said. “We’ll continue to monitor the situation and let the legal process run its course.”
Though this implies that the Chargers will be taking no action until the legal process has concluded, the expression of disappointment makes the statement a little stronger than the typical wagon-circling that teams perform when a key player faces allegations of criminal misconduct.
Some of you already have questioned whether Merriman is the victim of the same kind of scam as the one possibly being perpetrated on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. In this case, however, there’s a big difference. The alleged victim called police as the event was occurring -- Roethlisberger’s alleged victim to this day still hasn’t filed criminal charges.
That said, Merriman is entitled to the presumption of innocence in a court of law. In the court of public opinion, however, he can be questioned and/or criticized for putting himself in a compromising situation one week before the regular season begins.