Kenny Britt (1 Viewer)

[Kitrick Taylor]

I don't think the Kenny Britt era is going to last too long. This won't get him kicked out of the league, but it won't be long before something else does.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2010/06...second_man.html

A Jersey City felon, out of jail on bail guaranteed, in part, by childhood friend and Tennessee Titans player Kenny Britt, has been charged with murdering a Jersey City man on the downtown waterfront, reported by The Jersey Journal's Michaelangelo Conte in today's editions.

Albert Robinson, 22, of Park Street, was arrested late Friday and is the second man charged in the June 5 murder of Jermaine Williams, 17.

“After (Williams) was down on the ground, seriously wounded, we allege that Albert Robinson went over to him, picked him up and threw him into the Hudson River,” said DeFazio, adding that Robinson is believed to be a gang member.

Albert Robinson appeared in CJP yesterday and his bail was set at $750,000 cash only.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/...se-to-pay-bail/

Titans receiver Kenny Britt is facing more legal trouble, with a court date in Jersey City on Thursday, where he’ll face charges of theft-by-deception for not coming through on a promise to pay bail money for a friend who had been arrested in January 2010.

Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean reports that two bail bond companies say Britt convinced them to bail out his friend Albert Robinson, who was facing charges of hindering apprehension and weapons offenses. According to those two companies, which have the interesting names of Boss Bail Bonds and Bails Bails Bails, Britt promised that he would pay back the bail money and never did.

Britt is accused of “creating or reinforcing a false impression by stating in open court that he would pay the bail amount,” according to the complaint.

Five months after Britt got him bailed out, Robinson was arrested and charged in the murder of a 17-year-old boy in Jersey City.

Britt’s off-field problems in 2010 included an arrest for outstanding traffic warrants, a misdemeanor citation for driving on a revoked license and a bar fight that got him benched for the first quarter of a game.

 

[Sabertooth]

You hate to hear stories like that.

 

[Chest Rockwell]

Britt's just positioning himself for a run at the 2012 Ed Block Courage Award.

 

[gandalas]

He needs to disassociate himself from his past QUICKLY if he wants to stay in this league for very much longer.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

maybe Dog the bounty hunter will go after him.

Sounds like he will cut a check and move on

 

[Steed]

Shouldn't this read "Kenny Britt's friends, more trouble"?

He'll pay what he owes and be on his merry way.

 

[Concept Coop]

Help a new Britt owner understand:

You don't go to a bail bondsman and "promise" to pay them. You sign papers. If you don't pay, it is a legal issue, but not a criminal issue. Am I wrong?

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

Help a new Britt owner understand:You don't go to a bail bondsman and "promise" to pay them. You sign papers. If you don't pay, it is a legal issue, but not a criminal issue. Am I wrong?

Promising in court is probably what was used to get the guy out of jail. But yeah it sounds like the bail bondsman if he didnt do the paperwork is kinda dumb

 

[Concept Coop]

Help a new Britt owner understand:You don't go to a bail bondsman and "promise" to pay them. You sign papers. If you don't pay, it is a legal issue, but not a criminal issue. Am I wrong?

Promising in court is probably what was used to get the guy out of jail. But yeah it sounds like the bail bondsman if he didnt do the paperwork is kinda dumb

I don't know if that holds any weight either, honestly. A bail bondsman is not a court appointed entity. The court sets the bail, then it is up to the potential defendant to search out means to come up with the money. I don't know why the repayment of bail money would come up in court at all. The court got it's money. I doubt they care where it comes from. Something doesn't smell right here.

 

[Sabertooth]

Britt's just positioning himself for a run at the 2012 Ed Block Courage Award.

Or the Comeback Player of the Year Award.

 

[Kitrick Taylor]

Shouldn't this read "Kenny Britt's friends, more trouble"?

He'll pay what he owes and be on his merry way.

A few things you seem to be glossing over.

1. Someone that is apparently still close to Kenny Britt murdered a teenager. That person is a gang member, and murdered the teenager shortly after Britt promised to post his bail.

2. Kenny Britt could have kept his name out of the papers by cutting a $12,500 check months ago.

3. This may not be grounds for a suspension from the NFL, but it certainly is being noticed by Goodell. Goodell has shown that past behavior counts towards future suspensions.

This is just one more big red flag on this guy. F&L has him as the #11 overall WR in dynasty. After hearing this, I wouldn't pay that kind of value for him.

 

[thriftyrocker]

1. Someone that is apparently still close to Kenny Britt murdered a teenager. That person is a gang member, and murdered the teenager shortly after Britt promised to post his bail.

Oh snap. I didn't see nothin.
Forward article to owner. Buy low.

 

[TommyGilmore]

A few things you seem to be glossing over.1. Someone that is apparently still close to Kenny Britt murdered a teenager. That person is a gang member, and murdered the teenager shortly after Britt promised to post his bail.

The gang member was bailed out in January 2010. The murder took place in June 2010. I would not consider that to be "shortly after" Britt (allegedly) promised to post bail.Also, there is no proof that Britt "promised" to post his bail in the first place. There is only an allegation by two bail bond companies.

 

[Kitrick Taylor]

A few things you seem to be glossing over.

1. Someone that is apparently still close to Kenny Britt murdered a teenager. That person is a gang member, and murdered the teenager shortly after Britt promised to post his bail.

The gang member was bailed out in January 2010. The murder took place in June 2010. I would not consider that to be "shortly after" Britt (allegedly) promised to post bail.Also, there is no proof that Britt "promised" to post his bail in the first place. There is only an allegation by two bail bond companies.

If Britt actually made the promise in open court, as the criminal complaint states, there most certainly would be a record of it.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110209...ext|FRONTPAGE|s

Titans receiver Kenny Britt is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday on a claim of theft-by-deception, according to a criminal complaint filed in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Britt has been accused by two bail bonds companies of not following through on a pledge in court to pay for bail money for a friend who’d been arrested in January 2010.

He’s due in court at 1 p.m. Thursday.

Kathy Protogiawnis of Boss Bail Bonds in Jersey City claims Britt vowed to pay the $12,500 bail for Albert Robinson of Jersey City, who’d been charged with hindering apprehension and weapons offenses, but he never paid.

According to the complaint, Britt was “creating or reinforcing a false impression by stating in open court that he would pay the bail amount.”

James Lisa, the Jersey City attorney representing Bails Bails Bails, told the Jersey Journal that Britt told them he didn’t have the money with him but convinced them that he was good for it when they posted the $12,500 bail in January 2010. But later, the bail bond companies said Britt told them he never said he would pay for Robinson’s bail.

In June, Robinson was charged in the Jersey City waterfront murder Jermaine Williams.

Britt, a first round pick by the Titans in 2009, has been the subject of controversy off the field. Last October, he was involved in a bar room fight at a Nashville club, although police didn’t charge him in the case. A few months earlier, Britt received a misdemeanor citation for driving on a revoked license.

Last offseason, police in New Jersey suspended Britt's license in that state after an arrest for outstanding traffic warrants. At that time, Britt paid $865 and was released.

Britt could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. Britt finished the 2010 season with 42 catches for 775 yards, while leading the team with nine touchdown catches.

 

[TommyGilmore]

A few things you seem to be glossing over.

1. Someone that is apparently still close to Kenny Britt murdered a teenager. That person is a gang member, and murdered the teenager shortly after Britt promised to post his bail.

The gang member was bailed out in January 2010. The murder took place in June 2010. I would not consider that to be "shortly after" Britt (allegedly) promised to post bail.Also, there is no proof that Britt "promised" to post his bail in the first place. There is only an allegation by two bail bond companies.

If Britt actually made the promise in open court, as the criminal complaint states, there most certainly would be a record of it.

Yes, there most certainly would. We shall see.I have my doubts as to whether A) Britt actually made a "promise" in "open court", B) whether breaking such a promise can be considered "theft", and C) whether the bail bond companies have a right to seek reimbursement from only Britt (since there were several other people making the same promise in open court).

 

[RUSF18]

This was a big story locally and among Rutgers people back when he bailed his friend out in January, as many were getting on Britt for not only not distancing himself from a person who has gotten into serious trouble, but "vouching" for him in a manner that puts their names together. People on the other side said that it's not easy to just abandon a lifelong friend, especially when you have the financial means to improve his situation temporarily.

Nothing "new" happened here between Britt and his friend. His friend simply just broke the law again (in a terrible way) which called into question the original transaction. This whole "he promised to pay, but now he hasn't" seems very sketchy, unless it's some other form of bail that isn't typical, along the lines of agreeing to not only forfeit the bail you posted, but to pay for something else down the road.

 

[Jason Wood]

I'm not sure you can draw this kind of conclusion. I think you underestimate the tremendous sense of guilt and sense of duty some of these guys feel to their friends who were there before they were "something." I'm not for a minute suggesting Britt was smart to bail out his friend, but I'm not at all surprised that he did. I also don't think, for a second, that his decision to bail out his friend came with any expectation or sense of duty beyond that for what his friend did with his life.

My father is a retired detective from Trenton, NJ. He arrested and helped put away a number of guys who brutally raped and assaulted a woman. One of the perpetrators was the brother of a high profile NFL player. That player by ALL ACCOUNTS was, and is, a great human being. He was a good player, never got in trouble off the field, educated himself to prepare for a career in business after his career ended, was smart with his money, and was considered one of the league's top humanitarians. That player still went ahead and got his brother one of the best criminal defense attorneys money could buy. This was in spite of the fact his brother had a long criminal history, and the evidence of this assault was overwhelming. It was effectively a slam dunk case. Yet, out of a sense of duty? Of family? NFL Player footed a huge legal bill that ultimately went for naught as his brother was convicted.

My point? We forget in our white ivory towers (I'm guilty of this too) that it's much easier to say these guys should remove themselves from their past, particularly bad influences, yet human nature and a sense of duty and history and debts of gratitude often make that next to impossible to do in "real life."

 

[Matt Waldman]

I'm not sure you can draw this kind of conclusion. I think you underestimate the tremendous sense of guilt and sense of duty some of these guys feel to their friends who were there before they were "something." I'm not for a minute suggesting Britt was smart to bail out his friend, but I'm not at all surprised that he did. I also don't think, for a second, that his decision to bail out his friend came with any expectation or sense of duty beyond that for what his friend did with his life. My father is a retired detective from Trenton, NJ. He arrested and helped put away a number of guys who brutally raped and assaulted a woman. One of the perpetrators was the brother of a high profile NFL player. That player by ALL ACCOUNTS was, and is, a great human being. He was a good player, never got in trouble off the field, educated himself to prepare for a career in business after his career ended, was smart with his money, and was considered one of the league's top humanitarians. That player still went ahead and got his brother one of the best criminal defense attorneys money could buy. This was in spite of the fact his brother had a long criminal history, and the evidence of this assault was overwhelming. It was effectively a slam dunk case. Yet, out of a sense of duty? Of family? NFL Player footed a huge legal bill that ultimately went for naught as his brother was convicted. My point? We forget in our white ivory towers (I'm guilty of this too) that it's much easier to say these guys should remove themselves from their past, particularly bad influences, yet human nature and a sense of duty and history and debts of gratitude often make that next to impossible to do in "real life."

This is a great point. We have to remember that many of these guys don't really begin to see how negative these influences can be until they really get a true chance to be removed from them. However, it's very difficult to do it. A very simple, but powerful example is something that we all learned as very young human beings: "Don't touch that, it's hot!" What did we do? We touched it and got burnt, because we didn't know what "hot" was. It's why the NFL Rookie Symposium use role plays to discuss smaller situations. Otherwise having your employer walk into a room with you and your peers and tell you that you should drop your friends and family that were there for you is a point that will probably get lost on you. It's probably why I think this symposium is a good idea, but needs to be more than a week-long program. There needs to be follow up. As a business, they don't need to make that obligation to even do the one-week deal, which I understand. However, I have to think that it could create long-range benefits for the league (fewer suspensions, arrests, more productive players, more financial solvent players after retirement, etc.) if they could work with these new players more so their adjustment time to living with fame, living with money and having opportunities that come with it (good and bad) is easier. I've never been a a big fan of Kenny Britt the player, but I hope for his sake (and other players adjusting to a new life that money and independence can bring) that he can navigate this experience a little wiser.

 

[King of the Jungle]

I'm not sure you can draw this kind of conclusion. I think you underestimate the tremendous sense of guilt and sense of duty some of these guys feel to their friends who were there before they were "something." I'm not for a minute suggesting Britt was smart to bail out his friend, but I'm not at all surprised that he did. I also don't think, for a second, that his decision to bail out his friend came with any expectation or sense of duty beyond that for what his friend did with his life.

My father is a retired detective from Trenton, NJ. He arrested and helped put away a number of guys who brutally raped and assaulted a woman. One of the perpetrators was the brother of a high profile NFL player. That player by ALL ACCOUNTS was, and is, a great human being. He was a good player, never got in trouble off the field, educated himself to prepare for a career in business after his career ended, was smart with his money, and was considered one of the league's top humanitarians. That player still went ahead and got his brother one of the best criminal defense attorneys money could buy. This was in spite of the fact his brother had a long criminal history, and the evidence of this assault was overwhelming. It was effectively a slam dunk case. Yet, out of a sense of duty? Of family? NFL Player footed a huge legal bill that ultimately went for naught as his brother was convicted.

My point? We forget in our white ivory towers (I'm guilty of this too) that it's much easier to say these guys should remove themselves from their past, particularly bad influences, yet human nature and a sense of duty and history and debts of gratitude often make that next to impossible to do in "real life."

This is a great point. We have to remember that many of these guys don't really begin to see how negative these influences can be until they really get a true chance to be removed from them. However, it's very difficult to do it. A very simple, but powerful example is something that we all learned as very young human beings: "Don't touch that, it's hot!" What did we do? We touched it and got burnt, because we didn't know what "hot" was. It's why the NFL Rookie Symposium use role plays to discuss smaller situations. Otherwise having your employer walk into a room with you and your peers and tell you that you should drop your friends and family that were there for you is a point that will probably get lost on you. It's probably why I think this symposium is a good idea, but needs to be more than a week-long program. There needs to be follow up. As a business, they don't need to make that obligation to even do the one-week deal, which I understand. However, I have to think that it could create long-range benefits for the league (fewer suspensions, arrests, more productive players, more financial solvent players after retirement, etc.) if they could work with these new players more so their adjustment time to living with fame, living with money and having opportunities that come with it (good and bad) is easier.

I've never been a a big fan of Kenny Britt the player, but I hope for his sake (and other players adjusting to a new life that money and independence can bring) that he can navigate this experience a little wiser.

Enjoy reading your stuff Matt - what is it about Britt's game that doesn't appeal to you?TIA

 

[az_prof]

Shouldn't this read "Kenny Britt's friends, more trouble"?

He'll pay what he owes and be on his merry way.

No doubt he will pay his way out of it. But you miss the point: he already failed to pay what he had promised. That's why he is in trouble. You can't promise to pay someone's bail and then not pay. Beyond that, it is clear that this guy is hanging around with a bad crowd and that tends to rub off.

 

[Steed]

There's some pretty obvious flaws in this story. How exactly does a bail company let Britt post bail for his criminal friend without actually posting bail? I get that Kenny didn't have 12k in cold hard cash, but what NFL player can't throw down the Black Amex on demand?

 

[RUSF18]

Shouldn't this read "Kenny Britt's friends, more trouble"?

He'll pay what he owes and be on his merry way.

No doubt he will pay his way out of it. But you miss the point: he already failed to pay what he had promised. That's why he is in trouble. You can't promise to pay someone's bail and then not pay. Beyond that, it is clear that this guy is hanging around with a bad crowd and that tends to rub off.

Really? It's "clear" that he's hanging out with this guy? Show me why you believe that to be the case.And do you understand how the bail system traditionally works?

 

[Hoosier16]

I'm not sure you can draw this kind of conclusion. I think you underestimate the tremendous sense of guilt and sense of duty some of these guys feel to their friends who were there before they were "something." I'm not for a minute suggesting Britt was smart to bail out his friend, but I'm not at all surprised that he did. I also don't think, for a second, that his decision to bail out his friend came with any expectation or sense of duty beyond that for what his friend did with his life. My father is a retired detective from Trenton, NJ. He arrested and helped put away a number of guys who brutally raped and assaulted a woman. One of the perpetrators was the brother of a high profile NFL player. That player by ALL ACCOUNTS was, and is, a great human being. He was a good player, never got in trouble off the field, educated himself to prepare for a career in business after his career ended, was smart with his money, and was considered one of the league's top humanitarians. That player still went ahead and got his brother one of the best criminal defense attorneys money could buy. This was in spite of the fact his brother had a long criminal history, and the evidence of this assault was overwhelming. It was effectively a slam dunk case. Yet, out of a sense of duty? Of family? NFL Player footed a huge legal bill that ultimately went for naught as his brother was convicted. My point? We forget in our white ivory towers (I'm guilty of this too) that it's much easier to say these guys should remove themselves from their past, particularly bad influences, yet human nature and a sense of duty and history and debts of gratitude often make that next to impossible to do in "real life."

I don't think the "why" really matters. The point is that if he doesn't distance himself from his past, his past might eventually drag him down.

 

[loose circuits]

now that the dude is locked up, shouldn't 90 percent of his bail be refunded since he'll likely appear in court, or did the dude not show up for a court date so his bail was forfeited?

seems like the details we have are sketchy. Lets allow Kenny to have his day in court before we try to tear down his image some more...also, this isn't breaking news. hasn't this been around for a while?

 

[Joe Summer]

Something is fishy with this story.

We're supposed to believe that a bondsman agreed to bail out a gang banger without getting a down payment or a signed contract from anyone? Really? So Kenny Britt shows up and says "I'm good for it" and the bail bondsman just says "Okay!"? Come on.

 

[Jason Wood]

I'm not sure you can draw this kind of conclusion. I think you underestimate the tremendous sense of guilt and sense of duty some of these guys feel to their friends who were there before they were "something." I'm not for a minute suggesting Britt was smart to bail out his friend, but I'm not at all surprised that he did. I also don't think, for a second, that his decision to bail out his friend came with any expectation or sense of duty beyond that for what his friend did with his life. My father is a retired detective from Trenton, NJ. He arrested and helped put away a number of guys who brutally raped and assaulted a woman. One of the perpetrators was the brother of a high profile NFL player. That player by ALL ACCOUNTS was, and is, a great human being. He was a good player, never got in trouble off the field, educated himself to prepare for a career in business after his career ended, was smart with his money, and was considered one of the league's top humanitarians. That player still went ahead and got his brother one of the best criminal defense attorneys money could buy. This was in spite of the fact his brother had a long criminal history, and the evidence of this assault was overwhelming. It was effectively a slam dunk case. Yet, out of a sense of duty? Of family? NFL Player footed a huge legal bill that ultimately went for naught as his brother was convicted. My point? We forget in our white ivory towers (I'm guilty of this too) that it's much easier to say these guys should remove themselves from their past, particularly bad influences, yet human nature and a sense of duty and history and debts of gratitude often make that next to impossible to do in "real life."

I don't think the "why" really matters. The point is that if he doesn't distance himself from his past, his past might eventually drag him down.

Absolutely. It's just important to remember that this isn't a philosophical debate, but a real life situation with lots of complexities we can't begin to understand because we don't know Kenny or his friend personally.

 

[Lord Lucan]

Don't be fooled by the rocks that I drop, I'm still, I'm still Kenny from the block

 

[Johnny Rock]

Expensive lesson for Boss Bail Bonds and Bails Bails Bails. You'd think they'd be more street smart than this. It's a business not a charity. Take the feelings out of it and do your job.

 

[omahabrad]

let's see, he's got unpaid tickets, got in a bar fight and doesn't pay his bills....he sounds like the typical 20 something year old

 

[Kitrick Taylor]

let's see, he's got unpaid tickets, got in a bar fight and doesn't pay his bills....he sounds like the typical 20 something year old

Except the part where he was/is friends with a gang banger that committed murder.

Looks like it got reduced today:

http://twitter.com/glennonsports/statuses/35806831536381952#

Theft-by-deception charges against #Titans WR Kenny Britt in New Jersey downgraded to misdemeanor today. Britt was not in court.

I agree with Waldman and Jason Wood that this may not be as simple or easy as it seems for Britt. However, given his offseason of a year ago, wouldn't it just make sense to pay $12,500 to avoid having his name in the news again? Even more so when involved with a gang banger and a murder? While its obvious that athletes shouldn't just hand over money to anyone/everyone, in this case I think the smart move was to cut the check and move on.

 

[Bri]

I think Britt IS done with his past and just forgot to pay a bill. Kid grew up thanks to Moss(still seems weird)

 

[fatness]

Something is fishy with this story.

We're supposed to believe that a bondsman agreed to bail out a gang banger without getting a down payment or a signed contract from anyone? Really? So Kenny Britt shows up and says "I'm good for it" and the bail bondsman just says "Okay!"? Come on.

I agree, it doesn't sound right. Neither does the idea that a court said "OK, the defendant is released" when someone promises in the courtroom to post bail.

 

[fatness]

Theft-by-deception charges against #Titans WR Kenny Britt in New Jersey downgraded to misdemeanor today. Britt was not in court.

link

 

[JamesTheScot]

Help a new Britt owner understand:You don't go to a bail bondsman and "promise" to pay them. You sign papers. If you don't pay, it is a legal issue, but not a criminal issue. Am I wrong?

Promising to pay and then not paying is a civil matter. As in falling behind on a credit card account.Promising to pay while intending to not pay and taking steps to convince your mark that you will/can pay is theft by deception. Not ever paying on a credit card where you lied about how much you made, or work history, etc. could be theft by deception. Britt's intent at the time the agreement was struck is the key. If he stood up and said "I'll pay" so the court would cut his buddy loose and then snickered as he left town without running a check over to the bondsmen's offices...yes, it might reach TBD levels.So one particular incident can be both civil and criminal at the same time.As you might imagine, it can be a tough thing to prove but it ultimately would come down to a jury looking at all the surrounding details and then deciding if they thought Britt ever intended to pay.Sending in a freakin' check would probably close the issue both in criminal and civil court. What a #######.

 

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

Help a new Britt owner understand:You don't go to a bail bondsman and "promise" to pay them. You sign papers. If you don't pay, it is a legal issue, but not a criminal issue. Am I wrong?

Promising to pay and then not paying is a civil matter. As in falling behind on a credit card account.Promising to pay while intending to not pay and taking steps to convince your mark that you will/can pay is theft by deception. Not ever paying on a credit card where you lied about how much you made, or work history, etc. could be theft by deception. Britt's intent at the time the agreement was struck is the key. If he stood up and said "I'll pay" so the court would cut his buddy loose and then snickered as he left town without running a check over to the bondsmen's offices...yes, it might reach TBD levels.So one particular incident can be both civil and criminal at the same time.As you might imagine, it can be a tough thing to prove but it ultimately would come down to a jury looking at all the surrounding details and then deciding if they thought Britt ever intended to pay.Sending in a freakin' check would probably close the issue both in criminal and civil court. What a #######.

courts don't take promises to pay. The bail bondsman did it, prolly with someone saying "kenny britt will pay" and so the BB put the money up. Now they say Britt 'said he'd pay' and are trying to say he lied to them.

 

[Balco]

A few things you seem to be glossing over.

1. Someone that is apparently still close to Kenny Britt murdered a teenager. That person is a gang member, and murdered the teenager shortly after Britt promised to post his bail.

The gang member was bailed out in January 2010. The murder took place in June 2010. I would not consider that to be "shortly after" Britt (allegedly) promised to post bail.Also, there is no proof that Britt "promised" to post his bail in the first place. There is only an allegation by two bail bond companies.

If Britt actually made the promise in open court, as the criminal complaint states, there most certainly would be a record of it.

Yes, there most certainly would. We shall see.I have my doubts as to whether A) Britt actually made a "promise" in "open court", B) whether breaking such a promise can be considered "theft", and C) whether the bail bond companies have a right to seek reimbursement from only Britt (since there were several other people making the same promise in open court).

I have not seen the arrest warrant affidavit, but I highly doubt a judge would sign a warrant that simply contained the statements from bail bondsman that Britt did not follow through on a promise. The police would likely have attached a copy of the court transcript from the day Britt allegedly promised to pay. Again, just speculation on my part as I have not seen the affidavit. (as a side note, I think it is really cool that newspapers have begun scanning in court documents like warrants and motions on stories.)

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

A few things you seem to be glossing over.

1. Someone that is apparently still close to Kenny Britt murdered a teenager. That person is a gang member, and murdered the teenager shortly after Britt promised to post his bail.

The gang member was bailed out in January 2010. The murder took place in June 2010. I would not consider that to be "shortly after" Britt (allegedly) promised to post bail.Also, there is no proof that Britt "promised" to post his bail in the first place. There is only an allegation by two bail bond companies.

If Britt actually made the promise in open court, as the criminal complaint states, there most certainly would be a record of it.

Yes, there most certainly would. We shall see.I have my doubts as to whether A) Britt actually made a "promise" in "open court", B) whether breaking such a promise can be considered "theft", and C) whether the bail bond companies have a right to seek reimbursement from only Britt (since there were several other people making the same promise in open court).

I have not seen the arrest warrant affidavit, but I highly doubt a judge would sign a warrant that simply contained the statements from bail bondsman that Britt did not follow through on a promise. The police would likely have attached a copy of the court transcript from the day Britt allegedly promised to pay. Again, just speculation on my part as I have not seen the affidavit. (as a side note, I think it is really cool that newspapers have begun scanning in court documents like warrants and motions on stories.)

maybe Ive watched too much TV, but too me it looks like the cops dont really care about if a Bail Bondsman gets paid or not, that is a civil/money thing regardless of what he said

 

[Bri]

Sending in a freakin' check would probably close the issue both in criminal and civil court. What a #######.

Yesterday on the radio, one of the guys brought this up as a reason Britt probably doesn't owe. It's too easy to write a check and be done with it, especially and obviously right now. They were saying this guy could have said "Britt's my buddy, he'll back me up" and while you want to say that sounds silly of any bail bondsman, they'd want it in writing etc. But isn't that exactly what they are claiming when they say Britt promised and have shown no paperwork? Britt's from NJ where all this happened. The papers did it up with Rutgers star signing with Titans etc. Another point made was the bail bondsman could have been purposely dopey so that he could then go fetch Britt and be on the cover of every rag in the stores and be famous and all. Do those guys aspire to be "The Dog"?This so called promise and Britt not just writing a check is all extremely odd and ...something stinks here.

 

[fatness]

Theft-by-deception charge against NFL star Kenny Britt involving his paying friend's bail fee is downgraded to a disorderly persons offense

Kathy said that in January 2010 Britt had provided a "bank statement" to show he had the money needed to guarantee the $120,500 bond, but when he came to pay the $12,500 non-refundable bond fee he said did not have it. She said that Britt failed to keep a promise to bring the money the following day and has reneged on the agreement altogether.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said the bond should not have been written without the fee being paid.

"This is not the way the system is expected to operate." DeFazio said. "We anticipate, when bail is issued, that the appropriate fees have been paid."

 

[Matt Waldman]

I'm not sure you can draw this kind of conclusion. I think you underestimate the tremendous sense of guilt and sense of duty some of these guys feel to their friends who were there before they were "something." I'm not for a minute suggesting Britt was smart to bail out his friend, but I'm not at all surprised that he did. I also don't think, for a second, that his decision to bail out his friend came with any expectation or sense of duty beyond that for what his friend did with his life.

My father is a retired detective from Trenton, NJ. He arrested and helped put away a number of guys who brutally raped and assaulted a woman. One of the perpetrators was the brother of a high profile NFL player. That player by ALL ACCOUNTS was, and is, a great human being. He was a good player, never got in trouble off the field, educated himself to prepare for a career in business after his career ended, was smart with his money, and was considered one of the league's top humanitarians. That player still went ahead and got his brother one of the best criminal defense attorneys money could buy. This was in spite of the fact his brother had a long criminal history, and the evidence of this assault was overwhelming. It was effectively a slam dunk case. Yet, out of a sense of duty? Of family? NFL Player footed a huge legal bill that ultimately went for naught as his brother was convicted.

My point? We forget in our white ivory towers (I'm guilty of this too) that it's much easier to say these guys should remove themselves from their past, particularly bad influences, yet human nature and a sense of duty and history and debts of gratitude often make that next to impossible to do in "real life."

This is a great point. We have to remember that many of these guys don't really begin to see how negative these influences can be until they really get a true chance to be removed from them. However, it's very difficult to do it. A very simple, but powerful example is something that we all learned as very young human beings: "Don't touch that, it's hot!" What did we do? We touched it and got burnt, because we didn't know what "hot" was. It's why the NFL Rookie Symposium use role plays to discuss smaller situations. Otherwise having your employer walk into a room with you and your peers and tell you that you should drop your friends and family that were there for you is a point that will probably get lost on you. It's probably why I think this symposium is a good idea, but needs to be more than a week-long program. There needs to be follow up. As a business, they don't need to make that obligation to even do the one-week deal, which I understand. However, I have to think that it could create long-range benefits for the league (fewer suspensions, arrests, more productive players, more financial solvent players after retirement, etc.) if they could work with these new players more so their adjustment time to living with fame, living with money and having opportunities that come with it (good and bad) is easier.

I've never been a a big fan of Kenny Britt the player, but I hope for his sake (and other players adjusting to a new life that money and independence can bring) that he can navigate this experience a little wiser.

Enjoy reading your stuff Matt - what is it about Britt's game that doesn't appeal to you?TIA

There were aspects to Britt's game in college that I didn't like: He was not a great worker in practice according to folks that followed Rutgers football. He body-caught a lot of passes and that led to easy drops. He's physical, but not as much of a technician. A guy like Nicks has all of Britt's physical skill, but he worked at his craft. Britt worried me that he wouldn't. It was very disappointed the Giants took Nicks a pick before the Titans in that draft.

 

[road warrior]

Britt's just positioning himself for a run at the 2012 Ed Block Courage Award.

Priceless.

 

[Bri]

There were aspects to Britt's game in college that I didn't like: He was not a great worker in practice according to folks that followed Rutgers football. He body-caught a lot of passes and that led to easy drops. He's physical, but not as much of a technician. A guy like Nicks has all of Britt's physical skill, but he worked at his craft. Britt worried me that he wouldn't. It was very disappointed the Giants took Nicks a pick before the Titans in that draft.

I thought "oh what a waste of a pick" the first few games his rookie year and feel like he's improved so rapidly. So I went from not a fan, to becoming a fan of Britt.How do you feel now Matt?

 

[JamesTheScot]

Help a new Britt owner understand:

You don't go to a bail bondsman and "promise" to pay them. You sign papers. If you don't pay, it is a legal issue, but not a criminal issue. Am I wrong?

Promising to pay and then not paying is a civil matter. As in falling behind on a credit card account.Promising to pay while intending to not pay and taking steps to convince your mark that you will/can pay is theft by deception. Not ever paying on a credit card where you lied about how much you made, or work history, etc. could be theft by deception.

Britt's intent at the time the agreement was struck is the key. If he stood up and said "I'll pay" so the court would cut his buddy loose and then snickered as he left town without running a check over to the bondsmen's offices...yes, it might reach TBD levels.

So one particular incident can be both civil and criminal at the same time.

As you might imagine, it can be a tough thing to prove but it ultimately would come down to a jury looking at all the surrounding details and then deciding if they thought Britt ever intended to pay.

Sending in a freakin' check would probably close the issue both in criminal and civil court. What a #######.

courts don't take promises to pay. The bail bondsman did it, prolly with someone saying "kenny britt will pay" and so the BB put the money up. Now they say Britt 'said he'd pay' and are trying to say he lied to them.

Sure they do, at least they do here in Kentucky. It's called a surety bond. "If ________________ doesn't appear, I pledge to pay $_________ to the Court." The obligated party could be the defendant himself or could also be some other party that the Judge considers appropriate. Usually the Judge is wanting someone that holds some sway or authority over the defendant that can assist/compel his continued attendance at hearings. So in a bond hearing, the Judge could very easily take that testimony into consideration when determining the amount and conditions of the defendant's release.As for the civil/criminal aspect of it, the Court could also determine that the promise to pay was a contract. From a contract point of view, oral contracts, so long as they don't violate the statute of frauds or other state statute, are just as binding and enforceable as written contracts. Not every promise is a contract, but that does not mean that no promise is a contract.

Are oral contracts harder to prove? They can be if all you have is a one on one conversation with a he said/she said disagreement. But with Britt making public, recorded statements to that effect, that certainly makes it easier to convince a fact finder that Britt entered into an oral contract with the bondsman.

In the present case you have a bondsman who presumably paid a bond in reliance upon Britt's promise to pay. Unless there is some state law which prohibits oral contracts of this nature, you've got a pretty clear case of an oral contract being formed.

 

[JamesTheScot]

Theft-by-deception charge against NFL star Kenny Britt involving his paying friend's bail fee is downgraded to a disorderly persons offense

Kathy said that in January 2010 Britt had provided a "bank statement" to show he had the money needed to guarantee the $120,500 bond, but when he came to pay the $12,500 non-refundable bond fee he said did not have it. She said that Britt failed to keep a promise to bring the money the following day and has reneged on the agreement altogether.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said the bond should not have been written without the fee being paid.

"This is not the way the system is expected to operate." DeFazio said. "We anticipate, when bail is issued, that the appropriate fees have been paid."

This sounds more the 10% bond we have here in KY.Maybe the Judge granted a 10% bond based upon Britt's testimony in court. Then when Britt couldn't/wouldn't write the check for 10%, he promised the bondsman he would come back with money if the bondsman would go ahead and pay the 10% bond?

If Britt then provided an inaccurate bank statement (as in he knew there was less $ in there than indicated) to the bondman in an effort to convince him to go ahead and pay his buddy's bond, that's where you could get to the TBD.

 

[JamesTheScot]

maybe Ive watched too much TV, but too me it looks like the cops dont really care about if a Bail Bondsman gets paid or not, that is a civil/money thing regardless of what he said

There's some truth to this. The police and prosecutors love to push you off into civil court if they can. It saves space on their already bogged down case load.Not to mention that bondsmen pay the money that gets the perp back on the street when the perp doesn't have the means to pay it himself. Yeah, the local prosecutors get all tore up about the poor bondsmen. I say "perp" because if you're accused and charged, you're pretty much guilty in the eyes of the police and prosecutors. Goes hand in hand with a job that requires dealing with scumbags everyday.

 

[Matt Waldman]

There were aspects to Britt's game in college that I didn't like: He was not a great worker in practice according to folks that followed Rutgers football. He body-caught a lot of passes and that led to easy drops. He's physical, but not as much of a technician. A guy like Nicks has all of Britt's physical skill, but he worked at his craft. Britt worried me that he wouldn't. It was very disappointed the Giants took Nicks a pick before the Titans in that draft.

I thought "oh what a waste of a pick" the first few games his rookie year and feel like he's improved so rapidly. So I went from not a fan, to becoming a fan of Britt.How do you feel now Matt?

Still would have rather had Nicks. Nothing has changed for me. I haven't seen anything different from Britt that he didn't show at Rutgers. Same with Nicks. I think Nicks is a more versatile, reliable player. Both can be dynamic, but I believe Nicks can do more to get open and catch the football on a consistent basis than Britt.

 

[Joe Summer]

This seems like a timely bump.