If you didn’t know who Frank Clark was before May 1, you certainly do now. As if they intended to help me prove my point about their ongoing disdain for high-round draft picks, the Seattle Seahawks took a — let’s kindly call it “questionable” — risk on their only NFL Draft day two pick (they had no first round pick, as per usual) on the now infamous, undersized and much-maligned Clark from the University of Michigan.
Apart from the football-only sentiment that Clark may have been overdrafted (many had him rated as a third or fourth round prospect), the Seahawks continued their current streak of swinging hard at a head-scratcher of a choice. The quick take on Clark: fairly productive, good (not great) measurables, kicked off of a major college football factory team, suspected/accused/already convicted (in the court of public opinion) of domestic violence against a woman.
Sure, the court of public opinion holds no formal standing, but they do have some enforcement capabilities: they buy the tickets, concessions and merchandise. They have Twitter feeds on their navy blue and action green-skinned smartphones.
The Seahawks willingly bought into a controversy. Not just any controversy, mind you. The Seahawks managed to place themselves squarely in the crosshairs of the NFL’s messiest, most headline-grabbing recent controversy: domestic violence against women. As such, if there is some measure of punishment to mete out against the perpetrator, the NFL will have no choice but to continue its heavy-handed discipline. The NFL, like the court of public opinion, will not be turning a blind eye to the Clark case.
Upon further review …
The verdict (either from the public, NFL or law enforcement), is pending further investigation. Further investigation, as it turns out, may have been what the Seahawks should have done before deciding to buy a ticket on the Clark train to infamy.
I’m not here to try and convict Clark for his alleged crime (misdemeanor domestic violence and assault) and alleged comments. It is a serious matter to be handled delicately and thoroughly by the parties directly involved. The rest of us are watching from the cheap seats. The Seahawks, by virtue of drafting Clark, have now moved their gluteal muscles from the cheap seats to center stage. Head Coach Pete Carroll claims “… We really knew what we were getting into with the player,” referring to Clark on ESPN 710 radio in Seattle.
That’s good. Unless they really didn’t. In which case that’s bad. It’s bad in the sense that Clark is possibly an abuser, possibly about to be made an example of, possibly going to drag both the NFL shield and the Seahawks brand through the mud and it also might mean that the Seahawks didn’t really check into the alleged crime. Or, it just means they’re really bad at investigating players. Or worse: Maybe they just chucked their principles for someone they thought could help them win games.
As quoted by Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated, “… at a press conference with Seattle media a few years ago, (Seahawks General Manager John) Schneider said specifically and explicitly that any player who had put his hands on a woman in a violent sense would have trouble finding his way onto Seattle’s roster.” After Clark did indeed find his way onto Seattle’s roster earlier this month, Farrar asked Schneider directly if he still stood by his earlier pronouncement: “I can’t get into the specifics of Frank’s case, but that is still a deal-breaker for us, and it will continue to be as we move forward.”
So there you have it. No women abusers will be on the Seahawks. Right, John?
Again, this is not yet decided, but there is more than a little evidence attributed to multiple witnesses and knowledgeable parties that dispute Clark’s claims of innocence. Doubt is more than reasonable at this stage. Guilt is not yet definitively determined, as well, so Carroll may be safe in his assertion. Maybe.
While it is true that since Clark’s alleged crime occurred before he became a member of the NFL, he will not be retroactively subjected to discipline as it stands now. It does mean that his previous actions will weigh against any future transgressions he may have. It is also relevant that the University of Michigan investigated the incident. They kicked him off their team. The Seahawks invited him onto theirs — with the same information available to them.
Schneider’s corner
By making Clark the Seahawks’ first pick in the 2015 draft, he became the face of their draft. Their 2015 draft page shows Jimmy Graham in his college uniform as their first round pick, but c’mon. That’s bogus. They have to own the Clark pick. Had they flipped their second- and third-round selections and picked Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett (someone they admired so much they traded three picks to move up to get him) in the second round and waited to grab Clark in the third or fourth, the entire Clark fiasco — while not done away with entirely — would certainly have been significantly muted.
With Schneider on the record stating that the Seahawks won’t accept domestic violence, his credibility — in addition to the potential impact of the 2015 Seahawks draft class — is very much on the line. Because it sounds like Clark made a bad mistake in the realm of domestic violence. Law enforcement and the University of Michigan reacted one way. The Seahawks, at the behest of John Schneider and company, reacted in a completely differently way. By previously coming out so strongly against domestic violence did the John Schneider of a couple years ago write a check that the 2015 John Schneider cannot cash?
This is where the fresh paint is touching Schneider’s loafers as his back remains planted in the corner walls. More will be heard about the event that got Clark arrested and kicked off the Michigan football team. If this goes badly, the Seahawks may be forced to renounce their rights to Clark, their top pick in the 2015 draft. How’s that for draft impact?
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