New Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett, who has been indicted on the felony charge of injury to the elderly — which is punishable by up to ten years in prison and/or a $10K fine — is expected to turn himself in tomorrow, per Tom Schad and A.J. Perez of USA Today. Bennett is represented by Rusty Hardin, the well-known Houston defense attorney who has represented Roger Clemens and other high-profile clients. Per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Hardin indicated that Bennett is currently out of the continental United States and that, as he has not yet met his client, he will refrain from speaking on his behalf at this time.
Once Bennett turns himself in, more specifics will begin to emerge. As of right now, we have the press release from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office noting that Bennett has been indicted, a few details from various sources, and a whole host of unanswered questions.
Zack Rosenblatt of NJ Advance Media took a look at some of those questions yesterday, most of which pertained to the on-field ramifications of the incident (i.e. will the Eagles release Bennett, will they make any precautionary moves to shore up the defensive line, etc.). Today, one of Rosenblatt’s colleagues at NJ Advance Media, Eliot Shorr-Parks, examines the curiosities surrounding the case and sets forth his opinion as to why the Harris County DA will have a difficult time proving its case.
For instance, despite witnessing the alleged assault, a police officer at the scene did not attempt to arrest Bennett and instead allowed him on the field. According to Houston Chief Police officer Art Acevedo, speaking at a press conference on Friday, that was because Bennett was much larger than the officer at the scene, who was operating as a “one-man unit,” and because the officer needed to continue to monitor his area and did not perceive Bennett to be an additional threat to anyone else. Nonetheless, Shorr-Parks wonders why Bennett was not arrested after the post-game commotion if the incident was serious enough to warrant an indictment.
Shorr-Parks also observes that there is no video of the incident, which could certainly complicate matters for the prosecution. He also wonders why the case sat for three months before it was assigned to a detective, and why it took roughly five months from the time the last interview was conducted during the police department’s investigation — with the NRG stadium security manager in October 2017 — to the issuance of the arrest warrant. Finally, he sees Acevedo’s personal attacks against Bennett — Acevedo called Bennett “morally bankrupt” during his press conference — as another red flag.
The police department and DA, of course, have answers for all of those questions, and since it has procured the indictment, it is unlikely the DA will simply dismiss the case without a fight. And regardless of the ultimate outcome, McLane writes that Bennett, always a polarizing figure, has already become a major distraction for the defending Super Bowl champs. Eagles brass will doubtlessly have to answer questions concerning Bennett during league meetings in Orlando this week, but McLane believes the team may have to ride out the storm with him instead of cutting him loose (though Philadelphia could release him and save $5.65MM in cap space without incurring any dead money).
