The men accused of stabbing Steelers tackle Mike Adams last year currently are standing trial on charges of attempted murder. Their lawyer plans to defend against the alleged attack on Adams by, well, attacking Adams.
As explained by Adam Brandolph of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the lawyers representing the three defendants will paint Adams as a liar.
Adams claims he was carjacked by the three defendants, 26-year-old Michael Paranay, 26-year-old Dquay Means, and 27-year-old Jerrell Whitlock. They will claim that Adams was drunk, that he instigated a fight, and that he then lied to avoid trouble with his employer.
“It shows an individual who was on shaky ground and stood to lose millions,” lawyer Fred Rabner said. “That motivation to lie is enormous.”
Steelers G.M. Kevin Colbert has been subpoenaed by the defense to testify, presumably about the thin ice that Adam occupied after joining the team in 2012 as a second-round pick who tested positive for marijuana at the Scouting Combine. Colbert reportedly is fighting the subpoena.
The presiding judge has not yet ruled on the question of whether Colbert must testify, explaining that the judge first needs to hear what Adams says while testifying.
If, for example, Adams claims he faced no scrutiny from the Steelers if word got out that he was drunk and instigated a fight, Colbert’s testimony would become necessary to rebut his comments.