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#185 - Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida

Do Not Sell My Personal Information
If everything goes good, this dline/front 7 is going to be wild dawgs searching for prey. (Go look up wild dogs destroying shit)

Supposedly a 2nd round troubled talent. Love the risk.
 
I am so stoked about Brantley. I can't see why he'd decline a settlement unless he REALLY didn't do anything unlawful. People settle all of the time, often even when they didn't do anything wrong, just to avoid the costs and small probability that they will be convicted.

I consider Brantley a 2nd round talent, which means that we really got an infusion of talented players this year. I can't wait until this guy is cleared so that we can focus on how good of a football player he is.
 
https://www.seccountry.com/florida/...the-browns-for-selecting-him-in-the-nfl-draft

Typically, we pay little attention to sixth-round draft selections. But Brantley is not a normal sixth-round pick. Cleveland claimed it may release Brantley because of its concern of Brantley being investigated for an alleged incident of misdemeanor battery.

The morality of Brantley playing in the NFL will be fodder for sports talk shows. I have clear thoughts on that. But I want to look at the financial implications of Brantley’s actions.

It seemed that Brantley was going to be a second-round pick at the worst before the seriousness of the incident came to light. The first pick in the second round in 2016 (Emmanuel Ogbah) received $4.4 million guaranteed. The 185th pick in 2016 (DeAndre Houston-Carson) received $141,000 guaranteed from the Chicago Bears. Houston-Carson made $590,000 last season because he made the roster. But if Chicago had cut him before the season, the Bears only would have lost the guaranteed money.

So that means Brantley’s alleged incident could cost him approximately $3.8 million. But getting drafted will cost him even more.

All NFL draft picks get four-year deals, followed by unrestricted free agency. But undrafted free agents only get three-year deals, followed by restricted free agency. Undrafted free agents with Pro Bowl-level talent have the ability to out-earn Pro Bowl players who get drafted late.

In the sixth round of the 2013 draft (181st overall), the Raiders selected running back Latavius Murray. Murray signed a four-year contract that paid him $2.2 million, and he made the Pro Bowl in 2015. This offseason, he signed a contract with the Vikings that guarantees him $3.4 million, for a total of $5.6 million guaranteed.

After that same draft, C.J. Anderson was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Broncos. For the same four years, Anderson has made $7.6 million. He has more total money guaranteed to him than Murray ($9.3 million). He made the Pro Bowl in 2014.

The discrepancy in pay for the two players exists because Anderson became eligible for a new contract after three years. In a league where the average career is 3.3 years, this is a big deal.

You could make the argument that undrafted free agents don’t get any guarantees. This was true of former Gators defensive back Brian Poole, who signed a contract with the Falcons last year with a $3,500 signing bonus after not being drafted.

Caleb Brantley situation similar to La’el Collins’

But the closest recent situation resembling Brantley’s is that of La’el Collins, a former LSU guard who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys. Collins was a potential first-round draft pick who fell because police were set to interview him about the shooting death of a woman with whom he had previously been in a relationship. Without time to fully explore the development, teams weren’t willing to take a chance on Collins.

But Collins’ agents made them less willing by threatening that he would sit out the season and re-enter the draft if a team selected him after the third round. They took this action because they can do the same math I’m showing above. Collins signed with the Cowboys for similar money as other undrafted free agents. But the concession that the Cowboys made was that they guaranteed all three years of his contract ($1.6 million).

Collins has become a starter on the Cowboys offensive line. He should get a raise after next season because he is a restricted free agent. Had he been drafted in the sixth round, he would have been guaranteed less money and had an extra year before free agency.

Collins’ agents did what was in the best interest of their client to maximize his earning potential in a bad situation. Once he was cleared, he became a first-round talent at a huge discount.

And that’s exactly the approach that Brantley’s agents should have taken. The NFL clarified after the Collins incident that he would not have been eligible to re-enter the draft the next season. Perhaps this is why there were reports of a coach telling teams to stay away.

Initially this seems like a terrible thing for any coach to do, especially anonymously. But Brantley had already cost himself the money that comes with being a first- or second-round pick just based on the timing. My intuition says this information may have been relayed by his agent, wanting to scare away teams from drafting him. But the Browns are a special breed.

Now that he’s been drafted, it doesn’t matter whether Brantley is guilty. As it stands, he hasn’t even been charged with anything. The only way that this affects his football earnings is if he spends time in jail or if the Browns release him. Cleveland’s backtracking after the draft seems intended to appear tough on this alleged violent act. What really matters to them is they will have four years of team control of a player many considered a top-level talent. All for a guarantee of around $150,000.

If Brantley steps out of line, they can release him with minimal monetary or cap-related penalties. But if Brantley performs, they’ll get his best years (ages 21-25) for about $2.5 million.

And that is why NFL teams keep excusing bad behavior, alleged or otherwise. Whether it is Joe Mixon, Dede Westbrook or Caleb Brantley, the value of paying someone well below market value for his services is a major advantage in a sport with a salary cap.

And the perpetual hiring of these players has not turned away fans who demand results.

Ironically, players with checkered histories who drop in the draft probably help a team win more than someone with similar talent. This is because that money can then be allocated to another player. Coaches, general managers and owners know this. And since they are evaluated on wins and losses, regardless of how those wins are achieved, there’s no incentive to change.

The only way to change that is for fans to stop tuning in.​
 
Moneyball pick all the way. I would hope that if it does turn out that Brantley isn't guilty of assault and he gets cleared of allegations of wrong-doing, the Browns should be more generous than they normally would be with a 6th round pick and maybe figure out some incentives for him to achieve to recoup some of his lost potential earnings. The incentives could be based both on field and off field goals and targets to protect the organization and for him and the team to both get the most out of the rookie contract years.
 
This is the most up-to-date thing I could find on what happened:

https://www.seccountry.com/florida/...ified-report-claim-caleb-brantley-case-absurd

Caleb Brantley’s attorney maintains client is ‘victim’; attorney for accuser angers Gainesville Police
RyanYoung_pgybxa.jpg

RYAN YOUNG
SEC Country Staff


More stories by Ryan Young
Updated at 5 p.m. with response from Caleb Brantley’s lawyers, Johnson and Osteryoung, P.A., Attorneys at Law

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A response from the Gainesville Police Department on Monday addresses how new information led to the recommendation for a charge of misdemeanor battery against former Florida defensive tackle Caleb Brantley stemming from an April 13 incident with a woman outside of Fat Daddy’s bar.

Meanwhile, Brantley’s lawyers maintain he is in fact “the victim” in the matter.

On the initial police report filed after the incident, Brantley was portrayed as the one struck in the face and acting only in self-defense to push the woman away. No charges were filed.

That matter took a turn on Friday with the Gainesville Police Department recommending a misdemeanor battery charge for Brantley for allegedly knocking the woman unconscious and displacing a tooth.

North Florida Lawyers, the attorneys for the complainant Chelsea Austin, issued a statement Sunday night, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times, claiming that initial police report was “falsified.”

An email from Gainesville Police Department Public Information Officer Ben Tobias sent Monday to reporters disputes that claim.

“GPD is also aware of a statement from North Florida Lawyers, who represents the female in the case, that alleges that the original report was false and that the officers listed in the report were not involved. This is quite a bold allegation and is simply absurd,” Tobias’ email said.

“Many times in the course of investigations, additional information is discovered that is not apparent to the responding officers on scene. This case is no different. Once the new information was discovered in the follow-up investigation — the appropriate charges were recommended.”

Tobias’ email states that different witnesses “confirmed to detectives that the female was in fact knocked unconscious by Mr. Brantley,” which led the Gainesville Police Department to recommend the charges of misdemeanor battery to the State Attorney.

Tobias said the Gainesville Police Department will have no additional comments on the incident.

According to WGFL Channel 4, Darry Lloyd, the deputy chief investigator for the State Attorney’s Office, said Monday that Brantley had not yet been charged and the sworn complaint was being reviewed.

Later Monday, 1 of Brantley’s attorneys, Amy Osteryoung, released a lengthy response stating, “Mr. Brantley was not the aggressor. Mr. Brantley is the victim.”

According to Brantley’s representation, he had been home on the evening in question until 1:30 a.m. when he drove to the bar to give a ride to a friend. When informed the friend would not be ready to leave for another 15-20 minutes, he got out of his car, entered the bar and sat on the stairs to wait for a female friend to finish her conversation.

The release asserts that while waiting, another woman with whom Brantley had a prior relationship approached him, and he declined her invitation to join her. His lawyer says that the woman and her friends began taunting Brantley and he decided to exit the building, when “one of them stepped forward and punched him in the mouth with no warning.”

“Mr Brantley, in reaction to that sudden occurrence, put out his right arm in an attempt to push away his attacker. His hand made contact with her face due to his reflex reaction,” the statement claims.

The statement refers back to the initial police report, which states the woman admitted to hitting Brantley because she felt disrespected. Brantley’s lawyer says he did not know the woman who hit him in the face before the night of the incident.

Here is the full statement from Osteryoung:

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Brantley was expected to be selected in the first few rounds of the NFL draft later this week. It is unknown how this matter will affect his draft stock.
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I posted the police report on draft day.

police wanted him to file a victims report, not her. Because everyone saw what actually happened.
 
@The Human Q-Tip

from the article: "If charged, Brantley faces up to one year in jail or 12 months' probation, and up to a $1,000 fine."

Isn't that incorrect? I thought, if charged, then a hearing with testimony, evidence, and a judge (jury?) could lead to a conviction which would lead to jail/probation OR a not-guilty verdict and no penalty.

Help me understand simple law, lol.
 
natedagg said:
@The Human Q-Tip

from the article: "If charged, Brantley faces up to one year in jail or 12 months' probation, and up to a $1,000 fine."

Isn't that incorrect? I thought, if charged, then a hearing with testimony, evidence, and a judge (jury?) could lead to a conviction which would lead to jail/probation OR a not-guilty verdict and no penalty.

Help me understand simple law, lol.
Click to expand...

i think it's just poorly worded. they tried to sound cute saying exactly what he did.

He faces this penalty. Charged should be convicted.
 
Story said that she fired her attorneys. That's generally not a good look. You'd also have to wonder why she needed attorneys at all. I mean, normally, someone who is the victim of an assault files a police report, and the case is handled by prosecutors.

So gee, I wonder why she might need her own counsel....
 
DJTJ said:
i think it's just poorly worded. they tried to sound cute saying exactly what he did.

He faces this penalty. Charged should be convicted.
Click to expand...

Ok, then let's just disagree on the level of the infraction. "Poorly worded" isn't harsh enough. Wreckless journalism or intentionally misleading for effect are how I see it. There are people reading this who know less about law than I do, and it gives them an incredibly misleading perspective into where we are at in this legal matter.

Then Q tip comes in here and doesn't answer the damn question. Bastard.
 
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