Ricky Manning Jr, others charged with assault

[JeeberD]

Former UCLA Bruins Ricky Manning Jr, Maurice Drew, and Tyler Ebell were charged with assault after attacking a man outside a Denny's...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2449810

Manning Jr., Drew charged with assault after fight
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Chicago Bears cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. and two former UCLA football players were charged with assault Thursday for allegedly taking part in an early-morning fight at a restaurant last month.

Manning was charged with one count of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, Deputy District Attorney Karen Murcia said.

His arraignment, scheduled for Thursday, was postponed to May 26. Manning has previously declined comment.

Manning, a former UCLA star, was arrested April 23, along with former Bruins Tyler Ebell and Maurice Drew, after they allegedly attacked a man at a restaurant near the UCLA campus in Westwood.

Police said the players then drove off in Manning's SUV but were pulled over by officers soon after when the vehicle was spotted by a helicopter crew.

All three were released on $30,000 bail each.

Ebell, 22, and Drew were expected to surrender and be arraigned at a later date, Murcia said.

Drew, 21, was taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the NFL draft. The running back attended mini-camp in Florida last month.

Manning, 25, signed with the Bears last month after the Carolina Panthers declined to match Chicago's offer sheet. He is on probation for an assault in April 2002. If convicted, he faces up to four years in state prison.

The Bears did not return messages seeking comment.

Ebell played two seasons at UCLA before transferring to UTEP after the 2003 season. He rushed for 536 yards and scored five touchdowns in seven games in 2005.



The following was taken from a Rivals board, so lord knows how true it is...

Manning charged with assault with a deadly weapon after a melee that left a patron at Dennys unconscious. Apparently Mannings group began making comments to a guy that was using a laptop computer, calling him a nerd and a geek. The victim asked them to stop and complained to the management. Someone in the group punched him if the face and others started kicking him until he lost consciousness. They then fled the restaurant.

[stevew]

Drew got so lucky that the full amount of his involvement was fairly hidden at first. Otherwise his draft stock would have taken a major hit I believe. You still gotta question how the hell due dilligence puts him into your second round.

[rkmsuf]

Drew got so lucky that the full amount of his involvement was fairly hidden at first. Otherwise his draft stock would have taken a major hit I believe. You still gotta question how the hell due dilligence puts him into your second round.

that was just a horrible second round pick. combine the character stuff with the fact he is like 4 ft 8 and you have a winner.

[SFL Cat]

I am so tired of thug athletes.

[MrBug708]

The charges against Drew and Ebell will be dropped...

And this is quite the opposite of the mentality of Mo Drew. Met him a few times and he is the nicest guy in the world, so who knows

[MrBug708]

Chicago Bears cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. and two other former UCLA football players have been charged with assault for allegedly attacking a man in a Denny's restaurant April 23 near the Westwood campus, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced yesterday.

According to a release on the D.A.'s Web site, the former Bruins – Manning, Tyler Ebell and Maurice Drew, a running back selected by Jacksonville in the second round of this year's NFL draft – were arrested after the incident and released on $30,000 bond each.



Advertisement



That was news to Drew's agent, Adisa Bakari, who acknowledged his client was in the restaurant but said Drew was not involved in the incident, was never arrested and was never questioned by police.
“That (report) is not factual,” Bakari told the Union-Tribune last night. “Maurice was never arrested, not in his life. I don't understand. This is the first time we're having any communication with the cops. This is literally a guy (District Attorney Steve Cooley) trying to advance his career by targeting players, I'm going to be honest with you.

“They took the three notable guys in this whole situation to make a case. They sensationalized it. And when it comes out, the guys who actually did the assault – they didn't even go to UCLA, they didn't play football there. They were local guys that people knew.”

Bakari acknowledged his client was in the restaurant, but said Drew arrived before Manning and left before Manning.

“This is just a lie,” Bakari said. “They were not out together. They did not come together or leave together. Maurice drove his own car. He was already there before Ricky; he had ordered his food. I don't really understand what this propaganda is all about.”

A check of the L.A. County Sheriff's Department records shows no record of Drew or Ebell being arrested or processed. It does show Manning as having been arrested.

Spokespersons for the District Attorney's Office and the L.A. Police Department acknowledged it would be unusual for someone to have been arrested or processed yet fail to show up in records on the Sheriff's Department's Web site.

[RPI-Fan]

Why the heck would a football player that makes millions of dollars eat at Denny's?

[MrBug708]

Not much else is open at 3 am in the morning....

[stevew]

It's hard to get a table that late when you play on the 2nd best college team in the City?

[DanGarion]

Not much else is open at 3 am in the morning....
In LA, there is a whole lot open. Not as much as broad day light but still more open then there is here in the OC

[MrBug708]

It's hard to get a table that late when you play on the 2nd best college team in the City?

Probably not, when you are on a top 10 team in the country...:)

[Schmidty]

Dennys greasy hashbrowns bring out the worst in everybody.

[EagleFan]

I hope some big inmate named Bubba turns Ricky Manning Jr. into his own personal bitch.

[tucker rocky]

I hope some big inmate named Bubba turns Ricky Manning Jr. into his own personal bitch.

"Ricky don't lose that number". Cellmate number that is.

[JeeberD]

Ebell is claiming that he had nothing to do with the incident...



UCLA football notes: Warrants issued for ex-Bruins
BY BRIAN DOHN, Staff Writer

Former UCLA tailback Tyler Ebell received a phone call Thursday telling him a warrant was issued for his arrest. The first thing Ebell did was chuckle, he said, until his dad told him it was no laughing matter.

In fact, both Ebell and former UCLA tailback Maurice Drew had warrants issued for their arrests, stemming from an altercation at a Denny's restaurant in Westwood on April 23, which led to Chicago Bears cornerback Ricky Manning, another former Bruin, being arrested shortly after the incident.

Ebell said he had nothing to do with the fight. Instead, he said he was seated on the other side of the restaurant, and when he looked up he saw a fight had broken out.

"I want to get my name cleared because this is terrible," he said.

Ebell said he and a friend sat down to eat at the Denny's. A few moments later, Drew arrived with several of his friends.

"I went over to him and said `hi' and went back and ate and then Ricky showed up with some people," Ebell said. "I was on the other side of the restaurant. I looked up and saw a big brawl. I don't know what happened."

The parties, according to sources, were not together. Denny's is a popular hangout for UCLA students, and it was coincidence all three groups were there at the same time, sources added.

Ebell, who transferred to the University of Texas-El Paso after the 2003 season at UCLA, said he has not been questioned by police. But he added he was speaking out because he fears bad publicity could scare off NFL teams interested in signing him as a free-agent.

Already, Ebell believes his NFL chances were hurt when he missed the latter part of his senior season at UTEP because of a lacerated kidney.

"This doesn't help. I'm trying to get a job right now," Ebell said. "It was right before the draft. I would have gotten beat up rather than risk getting

Advertisement

in a fight."

Despite various reports to the contrary, neither Drew nor Ebell were arrested, according to Jane Robison, a spokesperson for the DA's office.

Drew and Ebell are expected to surrender at later dates. Both will have bail set at $30,000, Robison said.

Drew, who left UCLA as a junior after last season and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in last month's NFL draft, did not return several calls.

Drew and Ebell were charged Thursday, when Manning was arraigned in Los Angeles Superior Court.

"Everything that has been reported has been misreported," said Drew's agent, Adisa Bakari.

According to police, during the early-morning hours of April 23, Manning hit another man in the face at Denny's. Manning then left the restaurant with several other people, but was arrested shortly thereafter when his SUV was spotted by a police helicopter.

Manning posted $30,000 bail. His five-year deal, which is worth up to $21 million, was announced by the Bears the next day. He was charged with assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury. Manning is on probation for a similar incident in 2002. He faces up to four years in state prison if convicted.

"The police filed the case and we followed it through," Robison said. "We thought there was sufficient evidence to file a case (against Drew and Ebell)."

[email protected]

[Greyroofoo]

And this is quite the opposite of the mentality of Mo Drew. Met him a few times and he is the nicest guy in the world, so who knows

I've always hated statements like these.
Maybe its just me, I don't think I can figure out a person's entire character by meeting him a few times.

[st.cronin]

I think the most appropriate response would be to cancel the season and suspend the entire team.

[BishopMVP]

I think the most appropriate response would be to cancel the season and suspend the entire team.I was gonna go with "An overzealous DA targeting D1 athletes? That never happens." But it looks like you beat me to the Duke angle.

[Chief Rum]

I think the most appropriate response would be to cancel the season and suspend the entire team.

I think the Jags and Bears would be pretty upset about that. Although since they're playoff teams, their respective conferences would be pretty stoked. :D

[MrBug708]

I've always hated statements like these.
Maybe its just me, I don't think I can figure out a person's entire character by meeting him a few times.

I also follow UCLA quite devotedly so your blanket statement is quite inaccurate.

[miami_fan]

Citing insufficient evidence, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said Monday afternoon that assault charges against Jacksonville Jaguars rookie tailback Maurice Drew were dropped earlier in the day and that the pending case against the second-round draft pick was closed.

The charges stemmed from an April 23 incident in which Drew was alleged to have help beat and kick a man into unconsciousness in an early-morning confrontation at a Denny's restaurant. Veteran cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. of the Chicago Bears still faces assault charges in the case.

"To tell you the truth, I never felt any pressure," Drew told the Jaguars' team-owned Web site. "I knew in the end, it was going to come out that I was innocent. I'm just glad that I can [play] football now and I don't have to worry about any negative media."

The 60th player selected overall in April, the diminutive Drew (5-feet-6¾, 207 pounds) is projected by the Jaguars to contribute immediately as a return specialist and likely third-down tailback. The former UCLA star is a big-play performer and he rushed for 2,503 yards and 26 touchdowns in three seasons with the Bruins before entering the 2006 draft as an underclass prospect.

In the days following the incident, Jacksonville officials were criticized for choosing Drew, but said they were aware of the potential charges and seemed confident he would be exonerated. Drew was apprised by his attorney on Monday morning that the Los Angeles district attorney would not pursue the charges.

After traveling to Los Angeles late last week, Drew was back in Jacksonville on Monday and was ready to resume participating in the club's final week of organized team activities. This marks the final week of work for the Jaguars until training camp begins late next month.

A civil suit filed against Drew by the victim of the attack remains intact, but agent Adisa Bakari said that he expects it to be dropped as well.

Drew said that, while he was at the restaurant and was eating near the victim, he had no role in the alleged attack. The alleged event was said to have been precipitated when Manning and others chided the victim for using his laptop computer as he dined. Drew insisted that, in his circumstance, it was a case of mistaken identity and that he was not party to the incident.

"I never did anything wrong in my life," he said. "[I've] never been in trouble with the law. All I ever did was play football and go to school and help in the community. I didn't get the benefit of the doubt. The media jumped and ran with it. Jacksonville did a background check on me and found nothing wrong."

Manning, signed by the Bears as a restricted free agent this spring, after spending the first three seasons of his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers, still faces assault charges. The district attorney said Manning is on probation for similar charges from a prior incident and that, if convicted, could face four years in jail.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.


Note to Maurice: You are a high profile athlete. Unfortunately you do not get the benefit of the doubt.

[MrBug708]

It was a case of mistaken identity, cut the kid some slack...what's he supposed to do other then what he did?

[MrBug708]

The Los Angeles District Attorney's office announced Monday it has dropped all charges against Jaguars running back Maurice Drew after he was arraigned last week on a felony assault charge.
Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the office, said the charges against Drew stemming from the beating of a patron in a Los Angeles restaurant on April 23 were dropped because of insufficient evidence.

According to the D.A.'s office, wide receiver Ricky Manning of the Chicago Bears and former UCLA player Tyler Edell still face charges in the beating of Soroush Sabzi, 25, at a Denny's Restaurant after he complained that he was being harassed for using a laptop computer.

Aaron Dyer, Drew's Los Angeles-based attorney, said the surveillance videotape at the restaurant showed that Drew wasn't involved. He said that was backed by the testimony of over half a dozen witnesses.

"Maurice said from the beginning that this was a case of mistaken identity and we were able to establish that to the district attorney. Maurice came into the video for only a brief period of time while there was a confrontation in a corner between several people. The videotape shows Maurice leaving without being involved. I can't comprehend what led them to charge him,'' Dyer said.

Sabzi filed a civil suit against Drew, but Dyer said he expects that to be thrown out. Sabzi's attorney, Aviv L. Tuchman, was not in his office Monday and was not available for comment.

Adisa Bakari, Drew's Washington-based agent, was concerned that Jaguars fans might get the wrong impression of Drew.

"He has no character flaw, and most people who knew Drew were shocked [at the allegations] and knew he had no involvement. It's over and we're happy it's over,'' Bakari said.

In an interview posted on the team's Web site, Drew said, "I never did anything wrong in my life. I've never been in trouble with the law,'' he said.

Drew was drafted in the second round by the Jaguars on April 29 and will be on the field the next two days when the Jaguars wrap up their 14 offseason organized team activities.
-------------------------------------------------
I like their definition for insufficient evidence....

[MrBug708]

I was gonna go with "An overzealous DA targeting D1 athletes? That never happens." But it looks like you beat me to the Duke angle.

You nailed it...

[stevew]

Op ed piece I came across on another board.

THE STORY THAT TV WON'T DARE TOUCH

By PHIL MUSHNICK
October 1, 2006 -- NBC HAS Seahawks at Bears, tonight, an early season "big one." But let's see if John Madden - "The best in the business," according to NBC (and CBS, Fox and ABC, before it) - has the stomach to broach one particular here-and-now, Bears-specific story.

For that matter, let's see if any of the NFL's networks bother to go near it.
After all, the story broke Tuesday, and, while it's hardly news that the NFL's violent criminal population is on the grow, this one's too ugly to be shorted or ignored. But it has been. Tuesday in a Los Angeles courtroom, Bears CB Ricky Manning, already on probation for a 2003 assault, pleaded no contest to felony assault.

The assault occurred in a Denny's restaurant near UCLA on April 23 at 3 a.m.
According to the victim's claims in the police report obtained by NBCsports.com, Manning, Tyler Ebell and Maurice Jones-Drew - all former UCLA football players - were among a group of customers who began to bully 25-year-old Soroush Sabzi, who was
seated alone nearby, working on his laptop.

When Sabzi, a student and Swedish citizen of Persian descent, asked to be left alone, the insults, including, "Are you a faggot?" and "You f - - - ing Jew," continued.
Sabzi, the police report continues, next called out for restaurant management. At that point, Manning approached Sabzi, who was still seated, stood above him and called him a "an ugly f - - - ing Jew" and a "faggot."

When, according to the report, the victim again asked to be left alone, Manning began to slap him. Manning's accomplices joined in. Sabzi was punched to the ground then kicked, leaving "visible injuries to his face, cheek, head and [sic] lost consciousness for approximately 10 seconds."

Two days later, Manning, 25 and having played three seasons in the NFL with the Panthers, signed a $21 million deal with the Bears. Tuesday, Manning pled no contest to felony assault in exchange for another probation deal. And later he proclaimed his innocence.

Manning acknowledged having words with the victim then pushing him in the head - but after that, according to Manning, he was done and gone; it was the other guys' turn.

"It wasn't a plea where I'm saying, 'Yeah, I did it; I was wrong,' " explained Manning, according to the AP. "If I don't plea to this I have to go through trial.

"We're in season now. Then I'd have to put it in the hands of a jury. There are tons of things that can happen with a jury . . . I just can't risk that. I would rather put it all in my hands, be on probation, keeping my nose clean and not get in any trouble."
The AP report only referred to the alleged religious and sexual slurs as "exchanged words," and offered none of the specifics found in the police report.

For their part, the Bears don't seem particularly upset. In an issued statement, GM Jerry Angelo said, "We are disappointed in Ricky's involvement in the incident that occurred this past April." A cynic might conclude that "this past April" is another way of saying, "He wasn't technically on our watch until the next day. Whew."

Angelo added, "Situations like these are embarrassing to our team and create unnecessary distractions. We will continue to follow the NFL's personal conduct policy, which retains jurisdiction on this issue."

Yep, embarrassing. Distracting, too. We'll let the NFL handle it. Friday, the NFL said the case is under review and Manning is eligible to play tonight.
Regardless, there's little research needed in order to report this story on the NFL networks' pregame shows, today, or within NBC's Bears telecast tonight. The victim's claims and the physical evidence to the beating he sustained are in the police report - it's on NBCsports.com.

Then there are the ensuing facts: Manning on Tuesday pleaded no contest to felony assault but maintains he's innocent, although he admits to having struck twice - he struck the victim in the head just before he was beaten, then he struck another probation deal.

No big deal.

But imagine - and by now most of us can - the fallout if Manning and his pals, African-Americans, had been white, and their victim had been black. And imagine if the victim's claim in the police report read that, instead of being cursed as a Jew and a homosexual, he'd been called a "f - - - ing n - - - - r."

Then take it from there - the no contest felony plea, followed by a specious insistence of innocence, followed by the Bears' "disappointment with Ricky," followed by the NFL's position that "it's under review."

Imagine the outrage from the news media, the sports media, politicians and, yes, Chicago's own Rev. Jesse ("Hymietown") Jackson.
Just imagine.

[email protected]

[Logan]

I can't ever take Mushnick seriously with his "this is so wrong" rants when he writes for a trash paper that is responsible for spreading false "news" throughout New York.

[JeeberD]

Assault charge dropped against former UTEP player (6:05 p.m.)
Matthew Aguilar / El Paso Times
Article Launched:10/06/2006 06:07:26 PM MDT
An assault charge was dropped against former UTEP tailback Tyler Ebell for lack of evidence today in Los Angeles.

Ebell and two other defendants, UCLA running back Maurice Drew and Chicago Bears cornerback Ricky Manning Jr., were accused of attacking a man in a restaurant earlier this year.

Drew s case was also dismissed, while Manning pleaded no contest last week, receiving three years probation and ordered to take anger management counseling.

I feel good that it s finally over with, Ebell said. There has been a lot of stress over the last seven months, for my family and friends and everybody. A lot of people were worried, and thought I was going to jail. But everybody that knows me knows that I m not that kind of person. Ebell wasn t expecting the case to be dropped when he arrived at court today.

It s been going on so long, I wasn t very optimistic about it, he said.

Now, he ll concentrate on football.

I might be able to get on a practice squad this year, but I definitely won t be able to get on anybody s
Advertisement
roster, he said. But if nothing happens right now, I ll get ready for next football season. Thinking about football is better than worrying about going to jail.

It s a great day for me and my family. I finally don t have to deal with it. I m tired of answering questions about what happened. Everywhere I go, someone asks me about it. Now I can tell them I m a free man.

Matthew Aguilar may be reached at [email protected]; 546-6166

If nothing else, this article shows how bad the El Paso Times copy editing is...