Nitt Picks Sings Like A Jaybird

by BSD on Mar 3, 2008 8:51 PM EST in Football Comment 10 comments

Navorro Bowman wants to know if you can spare a dime.

Suspended Penn State backup linebacker Navorro Bowman has filed court documents asking for funds from Centre County Court to hire a private investigator to help defend him against charges he was involved in an October assault on campus.

Does anyone have Magnum P.I.'s number?

But that's not the interesting part. Skip ahead in the article a bit to this part.

In the HUB incident, police listed defensive tackle Phil Taylor as a "participant" in the assaults in their criminal complaints against Baker and Bowman.

Despite a number of football players identifying Taylor as a participant in the fight, Taylor has not been charged. Prosecutors said that was because the witnesses against Taylor were other football players who would likely assert their Fifth Amendment rights if called to testify.

That article came out on Saturday. Apparently something changed since then, because today Phil Taylor was arraigned in Centre County court.

Nittany Lion Phillip Taylor was arraigned today on aggravated assault and other charges in connection with an Oct. 7 altercation that police said involved numerous football players.

Taylor, a defensive tackle who sources say was suspended from the football team in Februrary pending resolution of academic and off-field issues, is charged with aggravated assault, a felony, simple assault and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors, and harrassment , a summary offense.

Here's what I don't understand. Baker, Bowman, and Timmons were charged in this months ago. Why all the sudden is Taylor being dragged into court? What changed? Then there's this little nugget in the article.

According to court documents, both Nittany Lion Chris Baker and the victim have identified Taylor as throwing one of the punches during that altercation.

It sounds to me like Chris Baker has decided to start singing.

The team has quietly addressed Baker's situation by holding a players-only meeting after the season, at which his troubles were discussed, Baker's mother, Jackie, said. Chris Baker would not comment about what happened in the meeting, but his mother said the players who have not yet admitted their involvement in the fights said they would step up and accept punishment.

If those players do claim responsibility for involvement in the fights, it is unknown whether it would impact Baker's case. Baker's attorney, Karen Muir, declined to talk about the specifics of his case in a telephone interview.

So far, no one has publicly come forward.

"I get upset sometimes because some of them that did participate in the fighting didn't get caught, and none of them has stepped up and manned up to say, 'it was me and not him,' " Baker said in a recent interview at his off-campus apartment. "So it's cool. At the end of the day, it's going to come out."

Everyone is saying we need to stay out of trouble this spring in order to stay focused on the 2008 season. The problem is we apparently still have some unresolved dirty laundry still hanging around from 2007. So maybe Joe knew what he was doing in suspending Bowman, Baker, Taylor, and Timmons. Some of these guys appear to be willing to let others take the fall for them, and the ones under the heat are willing to drag others down with them in order to get themselves off. This thing has the potential to tear the team apart, so maybe it's a good thing these guys aren't currently on the team.

Etc. - Former Pittsburgh Steeler coach Bill Cowher has been spotted around campus lately. FYI, I received independent confirmation back in February that this was true. I didn't report it at the time because I didn't think it was news worthy. I think I have a better chance of being named the next Penn State head coach than Bill Cowher, but it makes for interesting offseason blog fodder nonetheless.

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Baker - Taylor

Didn't Baker finger Taylor right after the fight in his original statement to the Campus Cops? It's only now (probably under pressure) that the DA is pursuing it.

by ageing lion on Mar 4, 2008 1:20 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Coach

If you become coach Mike, can we all be your assistants?

by raimman25 on Mar 4, 2008 9:27 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

nice

great Magnum P.I ref.

I have dibs the guy who gets to yell what coach says up to the coordinators...

The Big Eleventh Blog

by Big 11th on Mar 4, 2008 9:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

in the next administration

I think that job gets phased out. Coach Cowher wears his own head-set. You could be the mop guy though, somebody has to clean up all the slobber.

No way this happens. But I like the fact they talked to him (assuming they did), just because he is Penna. guy who probably has more than a few thoughts about how to improve the program.

For the Glory National Champions 1982, 1986, 1994,

by jesse. on Mar 4, 2008 9:43 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ain't no way in hell it'll happen,

but isn't it nice to dream away the 179 days until opening kickoff wondering what it would be like with Bill Cowher as our next head coach?

by Ab4PSU on Mar 4, 2008 12:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Centre County DA needs a new hobby!

I do not know who was involved in the incident....but if the only testimony against Phil Taylor is Chris Baker....the charges should be thrown out. The DA needs independent verification of the incident outside of Baker who is already charged as a Defendant. Who knows though...this J/O does whatever the hell he wants, that is why he already had charges for this incident thrown out once. Moving on....regardless of who was involved...no one should be charged with felonies for the fight according the evidence that I have heard. In PA an aggravated assualt is defined as:

§ 2702. Aggravated assault.
(a) Offense defined.--A person is guilty of aggravated assault if he:

attempts to cause serious bodily injury to another, or causes such injury intentionally, knowingly or recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life;

serious bodily injury is defined in the code as an attempt to cause death or disfigurement.

A fight is a fight...personally I feel that most fights involving college kids (or anyone for that matter) do not warrant police involvement unless they escalate to a certain level where serious injury is caused. From my understanding....no one in this incident or the indident at the apartment was seriously injured. Cuts and bruises were all that resulted. In BOTH incidents it has been alleged someone other than a PSU football player was the primary aggressor...yet if BOTH incidents only PSU football players were charged.
Coincidence...I think not. All this JoeShome DA cares about is headlines...that is why ONLY football players are charged!

BTW....HOW MUCH FRIGGEN MONEY WOULD WE HAVE TO PAY COWHER??? WE ARE TALKIN SABAN LIKE MONEY HERE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOVE BILL COWHER BUT WITH FOOTBALL SUPPORTING ALL THE OTHER PROGRAMS AT PSU.....WE COULD NEVER AFFORD HIM!

I thought only safeties played 15 yards off the ball?

by pic15 on Mar 4, 2008 1:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

You're absolutely right about this

dickheaded DA. A friend of mine who works in State College says fights like at the apartment and at the Hub happen every weekend, and usually it's no big deal-unless it's the football team. I'm not condoning the actions of our players; they have acted like a bunch of thugs. But this DA likes the press and attention that goes along with prosecuting football players. Sounds like prosecutorial misconduct, if you ask me. Why hasn't somebody tried to bring charges against this asshole?

by Ab4PSU on Mar 4, 2008 2:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You want some Bill Cowher speculation?

Fine, I'll give you some Bill Cowher speculation. His house big expensive house in North Carolina is for sale.

http://www.pittsburghskyline.com/content/2006/12/02/bill-cowhers-house-in-raleigh-nc/

http://www.fmrealty.com/site/property/listing.asp?mlsID=984644&rNum=R17347&markettime=1/1/19 93&whichpage=1

http://aws1.co.wake.nc.us/realestate/Account.asp?id=0325140&stype=addr&stnum=6016&stname Over+Hadden&locidList&spg=1

The property is owned by a trust held by Bill Cowher's agent "Octagon Financial Services",

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06365/750272-66.stm it is near the end of the article. If you google Frank Zecca's name (the registered owner of the property),you'll see that he is affiliated with that group;

How's that for some Bill Cowher speculation?

For the Glory National Champions 1982, 1986, 1994,

by jesse. on Mar 4, 2008 5:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs