After swearing on a stack of bibles that he was innocent, noting that he had turned down multiple plea deals, Mike McNeil pleads guilty to armed robbery charges. That’s how you build credibility as you accuse all sorts of folks of bad dealings.
Selena’s an Auburn grad. Maybe her big piece is some sort of reverse jujitsu move to make her school look better as her story falls apart. It’s as good an explanation for the mess as any.
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UPDATE: Roberts says it’s all good.
Get The Picture 
Ahhhh….. “controversy creationism”. Good way to get a book deal or get the click whore traffic to your blog.
“When since-disgraced district attorney Mike Nifong whipped up a media posse to rain justice on the drunken, male college students, Roberts jumped on the fastest, most influential horse, using her New York Times column to convict the players and the culture of privilege that created them.” Jason Whitlock, Kansas City Star
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“Bobo has an I-PAD.” 😉
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Hoping that quoting Whitlock on this is more “takes one to know one” because that guy is a giant pot stirring a-hole.
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If we’re going to play “blame the messenger by challenging their credibility” game, Whitlock loses by a landslide.
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I’m Selena’s mentor and I take issue with your negative post about her exceptional reporting skills. I expect her to win a Pulitzer soon–just like me.
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“Cooke and Sager sold the film rights to the story to Tri-Star Pictures for $1.6 million, but the project never moved past the script stage.”
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“It would be absurd for me or any other editor to review the accuracy of stories that are nominated for prizes.”
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Bob Woodward? Didn’t he used to be somebody?
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Yeah. He used to be me before I was me.
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Come on Senator the boy had a 3 year sentence deal on the table and his partner in crime got 15 at trial. Hell he would cop to anything for that amount of time savings. The jails are full of innocent people who plead to lesser charges. As the great F. Lee Bailey once said you can be guilty as sin and walk on a technicality or innocent as a new born babe and if you have a technically clean trial spend the rest of your life in jail.
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If you’re claiming not taking a deal is proof of your veracity, then what are you left with when you take a deal?
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It may just come down to this kid not wanting to spend much time in prison. Some things to consider: 1) He probably got credit for the time he has already served, so it won’t be a full three years and (2) the parole board may release him sooner. As for public perception, you’re probably right that taking a plea doesn’t make him look good, but dropping armed robbery down to 3 years doesn’t make the prosecution look that confident in their case either.
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Look, I get all the reasons somebody takes a favorable plea deal.
The thing is, those reasons weren’t any different when McNeil was making his case that his refusal to take a plea was proof he was telling the truth.
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Are you certain he always had an offer to serve three? I don’t recall seeing that in the roopstigo article.
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It did.
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Perhaps he ultimately decided that–given the time he was facing–he didn’t have the luxury of maintaining his principles or intellectual consistency.
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Senator, as someone who’s handled a fair number of criminal cases over the years, I can tell you that nothing focuses a defendant’s mind like “Take the deal or we’re picking a jury in 30 minutes.” I dont know what the law is in Alabama, but an armed robbery (as opposed to robbery) charge here is 10 minimum, no parole, and what ever you get over that is no parole.
if the kid was standing at the brink of 3 with parole and a longer term without parole, he wouldnt be the first one to blink and try to save himself from 15 or 20 years in prison, even if he believed he didnt do anything wrong. When you dont have to decide RIGHT NOW, it’s a lot easier to cling to the “not gonna take any time” position.
I have no idea if he’s a victim of circumstance or a thug who got nailed, but I can understand how a guy who resolutely denied any guilt all along could go a little wobbly when they’re about to load 12 people in the box, especially when it’s a law and order pool.
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Not only is Ben Hand lawyer of the year for this week, he’s gets bonus points by proper usage of ‘totality of the circumstances’ in a three-year sentence such as “[t]he totality of the circumstances make this the best deal,” to avoid a law and order dead pool in Lee County.
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that sack of cash you’re gonna get when you get released for good behavior after 12-18 months thanks to 2 or 3 for 1 with good behavior.\?
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OJ approves of the love you show FLB……. James Earl Ray does not.
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Not to mention Patty Hearst but I just can’t help myself
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+1
I saw what you did there. Patty—> Yellow Journalism–> Selena Roberts! Billy R H would be proud of you. With my limited time spent on that side of campus I can hardly be expected to keep up!
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You give me way too much credit 😉
I was just thinking about what a turn-on she was
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oh yeah, and before I got side-tracked with thinking about how hot she was, about how the Hearst Family learned that when you bring a malpractice claim v. F. Lee re his representation of their Princess, you waive the attorney-client privilege which oddly enough thereby results in you dismissing your malpractice claim
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That’s a damn good-looking mug shot. Airbrushed perhaps?
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The Hearst Corporation would have it no other way. As they say at the San Mateo County Jail, one can never go wrong by touching up a girl with faraway eyes.
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I want the Auburn story to be true. I hate Auburn. But the Auburn story is not true. There are just too many completely unbelievable elements to it, not the least of which is this idea that Auburn’s athletic department somehow runs the law enforcement agencies in Auburn/Lee County. All jokes aside, that’s simply not possible in this day and age.
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Let me help you here, my friend. I would hate Auburn passionately if the story were true, because it’s further proof of their continued perfidy, it reflects poorly on our entire conference and my favorite sport, and it risks them getting the death penalty so my beloved Dawggies might not be able to take the lead in the series. I hate Auburn at least as much if it isn’t true, because it shows what a lousy job its journalism school does in turning out “journalists,” it leaves me gnashing my teeth in frustration that the scoundrels yet again avoid the guillotine, and it still calls down negative attention on our entire conference and my favorite sport but for no good reason.
See, not hard at all! Just let me know if you ever again need help in the “ways to hate Auburn” department.
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Bravo!!!!
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I really like what you did there
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Well, the good thing is that the NCAA doesn’t really let the truth determine whether or not they punish a school.
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Does anyone expect Auburn players recieving improper benefits to have credibility in the first place…?? Discredit Selena because she interviewed a criminal? Over the decades of Auburn impropriety they’ve lost any benefit of doubt….why’s this centered on Selena again…????
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So, in this lone instance, Auburn might have more credibility than Roberts. That’s sort of like saying a Quarter Pounder has fewer calories than a Big Mac. She possibly has an axe to grind and definitely an on-line magazine to promote – so she took a few short cuts. Once a Plainsman, always a Plainsman?
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Man, if you can’t trust a media outlet with the prestige, reputation and solid track record of roopstigo.com . . . I don’t know. I just don’t know anymore.
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roops…I did it again
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AS regards corruption on the Plains:
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