For British Olympian Lawrence Okoye, his introduction to American football has included something Okoye likely didn’t expect.
Per multiple reports, Okoye (pictured) and fellow undrafted rookie Michael Purcell witnessed linebacker Ahmad Brooks repeatedly (allegedly) bash teammate Lamar Divens in the head with a beer bottle on June 8.
As to the three guys in the quartet who didn’t sign a multi-million-dollar contract in 2012, the dilemma is clear. At a time when they’re trying to make the cut from 90 to 53, causing problems for the team could cause problems for them.
That’s likely why Divens, a practice-squad player in 2012, decided that pressing charges “would be bad for both of their careers.” Bad for Brooks, because he’d be facing discipline from the team and the league. Bad for Divens, because there are plenty of other guys who can do what he does — guys who haven’t helped make a mess for the organization.
None of it matters if Santa Clara prosecutors choose to take a cue from the college-town playbook and look the other way when a member of the popular local football team gets in trouble. The difference between the Bay Area and Gainesville, however, is that the local media won’t look the other way, too.
And now that the issue has landed on the radar screen of the national media, a decision not to charge Brooks for beating up someone who had tried to keep Brooks from driving drunk likely will be met with widespread criticism.
Either way, and as a commenter pointed out in response to our first item on this issue, there’s a different answer, at least for now, to the question of “who’s got it better than us?”