Tramaine Brock was cleared of domestic violence charges on Wednesday, and today the lawyer of his alleged victim released a statement offering an explanation of the incident, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
“On August 8, 2017, my client chose not to testify, availing herself of her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination,” attorney Alan M. Lagod writes. “She then was given immunity and continued to refuse to testify utilizing the protections afforded by California Code of Civil Procedure § 1219. She was subsequently found in contempt and fined $100.00.
“My client’s choice not to testify was voluntary and not dependent upon past or future actions by any part. She has indicated to me that this was a verbal altercation. She and Mr. Brock look forward to co-parenting their two young children.”
The statement should arguably enable Brock to land a new contract, especially if the episode was indeed simply a verbal altercation. Several clubs have reportedly already reached out to Brock with interest, but the 49ers aren’t expected to re-sign him. The 28-year-old Brock has been a full-time starter in each of the past two seasons, and in 2016 graded as the league’s No. 23 corner while playing 95% of San Francisco’s defensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
The NFL is still entitled to hand Brock a suspension, but as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, it will be tough for the league to issue a ban if Brock’s alleged victim won’t cooperate with an investigation.
Get this guy Pittsburgh