Atlanta Falcons hire Seattle Seahawks former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn who led the one of the best defenses in the NFL the past couple of years, will be the next coach of the Falcons and was introduced through a press conference on Tuesday. Quinn had the No. 1 defense in football in 2014, ranking first in passing yards allowed per game, and third in rushing yards allowed.
“I am grateful for this opportunity, and I am excited to be the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. This felt like the right fit from the beginning, and I want to thank Mr. Blank for his resolve as this was an extended and complicated process. My goal is to build upon the foundation that has been laid here and to play a physical brand of football as we build a championship caliber team.”
The judge overseeing the murder trial of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez removed a juror Tuesday, saying there was evidence she had spoken about the case in previous years and had an early interest in being seated on the panel.
Bristol County Superior Court Judge Susan Garsh dismissed the juror after questioning her individually and closing the courtroom to hear evidence on the matter.
After a closed-door hearing that lasted more than 90 minutes, Garsh said there was credible evidence the juror specifically discussed an opinion about the case, including that it would be hard to convict Hernandez without the murder weapon, which has never been found. She said the juror also discussed several items of evidence that the court has ruled are inadmissible in this case.
“Over the last few years, the juror has expressed an interest in serving on this particular jury,” Garsh said. “There is credible evidence that the juror has attended more Patriots games than were disclosed on the questionnaire.”
Hernandez listened as Garsh spoke and tapped his thigh with the palm of his hand.
“Discharge of the juror is indeed in the best interest of justice,” Garsh said.
It wasn’t immediately clear how the juror issue came to light. When the 17 remaining members of the jury came back, Garsh told them that one juror had been dismissed for “purely personal reasons” unrelated to the case.
Twelve jurors will ultimately decide Hernandez’s fate. The alternates will be randomly selected from the pool of 17 immediately before deliberations begin.
Hernandez, the former Patriots standout, is accused of the June 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd, a semipro football player who was dating his fiancee’s sister. Hernandez, 25, had a $40 million contract with the Patriots when he was arrested.
Also charged with murder are Hernandez’s friends Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace. Prosecutors haven’t said who pulled the trigger but say Hernandez orchestrated the killing. They have both pleaded not guilty and will be tried separately.
Proceedings began last week but were suspended Monday when a snowstorm hit. Tuesday was the first day back at the trial since the Patriots won the Super Bowl. The judge told jurors they were allowed to watch the game but had to leave the room or distance themselves if Hernandez’s name came up.
The Tuesday morning session began with a lengthy private sidebar conversation among the judge, prosecutors and the defense. After about 20 minutes, the juror was called in.
Later Tuesday, Lloyd’s girlfriend testified that Hernandez tried to reassure her that the pain of losing a loved one would get better with time.
Shaneah Jenkins is the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee. She testified that she went to the couple’s home hours after learning her boyfriend, Lloyd, had been found dead.
Jenkins said Hernandez spoke to her briefly after she got there, then left. She said her sister, Shayanna, then kept getting text messages and phone calls and was acting “secretive.”
Hernandez faces life imprisonment if convicted of killing Lloyd.
In an interview with Ebro, Rosenberg and Laura Stylez on Hot 97, the former Bulls forward Horace Grant recalls a great Jordan story in which an illegal screen ended in Jordan punching out one of his former teammates.
“Our practices were so intense because Phil, the mastermind behind everything, would put [Jordan] on the second team, me and Scottie would be on the first team, and being competitive like he was, man,” said Grant.
No comments:
Post a Comment