NFL draft hopeful Caleb Brantley was recently involved in an altercation in which he is alleged to have hit a woman outside a bar in Florida. The woman reportedly offered to get him to put it all behind him with a financial settlement.
Jason Cole of Bleacher Report provided the details.
1/3 Attorney for DT Caleb Brantley was approached about a financial settlement today by attorneys for alleged victim in battery case …
— Jason Cole (@JasonCole62) April 25, 2017
(clarified) 2/3 Brantley said no to offer. He will not settle at all, even w/ NFL draft starting Thur, attorney Huntley Johnson said …
— Jason Cole (@JasonCole62) April 25, 2017
3/3 Also, bar owner said alleged woman victim "repeatedly" hit Brantley in chest/arms. Security guard said she punched Brantley in mouth
— Jason Cole (@JasonCole62) April 25, 2017
Cole also notes the lawyer for the woman said they will go to the state attorney on Thursday without a settlement. Additionally, he reports the security guard disputes the claim that Brantley knocked the woman unconscious, noting he pushed her away, rather than hitting her.
Obviously Brantley and his lawyer, Huntley Johnson, are out to prove this allegation of assault is false. If they had agreed to pay the alleged victim in a settlement, it would no doubt be seen as a sign of guilt — that it was a payoff for the woman to stay quiet.
Still, even if in the end he’s proven innocent, it’s hard to imagine Brantley will go as high in the draft as he would have if this incident had never arisen. Before all this, he was seen as a fringe late-first round pick, if not a second-round selection.