49ers' Braylon Edwards sues restaurant for slander
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Braylon Edwards (17) runs away from Seattle Seahawks defensive back Marcus Trufant (23) in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011.Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez
Niners wide receiver Braylon Edwards has filed a $14 million slander lawsuit, claiming he lost his shot at a big-money contract due to false claims that he was directly involved in a bar fight on the early morning of Aug. 1, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.
Edwards' suit accuses a restaurant and bar in Birmingham, Mich., and three of its employees of slander, extortion and malicious prosecution. In the aftermath of the fight, the restaurant issued a statement in which it implicated Edwards, stating he was "present and involved."
The suit claims Edwards had a contract offer from an NFL team for $15 million guaranteed that was taken off the table after he was connected to the fight.
Three days after the incident, Edwards, who has not been charged, signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the 49ers with $1 million guaranteed.
Last week, Edwards was fined $50,000 by the NFL for his DUI charge from last year. In January 2010, he pleaded no contest to aggravated disorderly conduct after allegedly punching a friend of NBA star LeBron James.
Crabtree, Goldson limited: Wide receiver Michael Crabtree (foot) and safety Dashon Goldson(knee) were in uniform, but were largely bystanders during the portion of practice open to the media Wednesday.
Crabtree, who jogged through one route, spent most of his time speaking with trainer Jeff Ferguson as the pair watched the quarterbacks throw to wide receivers. Goldson, who did not play in the final preseason game or the season opener against Seattle, watched secondary drills.
Both players were listed as "limited" on the team's injury report.
Briefly: The Niners signed rookie safety Colin Jones to the practice squad. Jones, a sixth-round pick who made a key block on Ted Ginn's 102-yard kickoff return in the season opener, was waived Tuesday to make room for tight end Justin Peelle on the 53-man roster.
I feel like Braylon Edwards has a valid argument if he was not, in fact, involved in the fight. He is a victim of slander in this case-granted again, if he was not in fact involved in the fight. He suffered a loss of $14 million after being dropped by the NFL team who had offered him $15 million guaranteed within his contract. So, depending on whether or not Edwards was involved in the fight, really determines whether or not the restaurant is liable for the slander and termination of Edward's previous contract.
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ReplyDeletehttp://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/09/chris-paul-reportedly-considering-legal-action-against-league/