Thread by @DrewDavenportFF

Alvin Kamara has been indicted for his role in the assault that took place last February in Las Vegas.

This was expected, but there is a lot of misinformation floating around out there so be careful.

Here's your #FFLegalUpdate & what you need to know for your fantasy teams.

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Sometimes it's hard to do these without knowing what is insulting ("why are you wasting our time with this") and what is helpful ("I had no idea what an indictment was - thanks!") so forgive me if I cross back and forth between the two.

Here we go...

#FFLegalUpdate
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"Is this a new case?"

No, this is the same case that's been pending since last year at this time. However, the case is officially underway with the indictment. I do not have a copy of it and sometimes the charges can change when the Grand Jury gets a hold of the case.

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But, in this case they returned an indictment on the exact charges originally filed.

Those charges are:

NRS 200.481.2 - Conspiracy to Commit Battery (Gross Misdemeanor)
NRS 200.481.2b - Battery Resulting in Substantial Physical Harm (Category B Felony)

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"This is REALLY bad for Kamara isn't it?"

Well...yes and no. But I think the question people are asking is actually "oh man he's indicted, NOW he's in trouble huh?" Not exactly. The indictment was expected. When they couldn't work out the case it was going to happen.

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But yes, he's still facing a lot of trouble. I just want to clarify that the trouble is no worse today with an indictment than it was yesterday without one.

So what happens next? Profootballtalk is reporting that he has a court date on 3/2 but I have *not* verified that.

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I have checked out both court websites and the electronic records have not been updated yet. I'll stay on that and let you know when I can independently verify some of this through the primary source.

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"What is an indictment?"

It is how felony charges are filed. More on that in a second.

"Wasn't a misdemeanor filed too?"

Yes, but when a misdemeanor is involved with a felony the Grand Jury usually considers ALL charges and files them together.

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"I thought this was scheduled for a Preliminary Hearing?"

It was, but the State chose to go Direct (term of art) to the GJ and seek an indictment that way.

So the GJ heard the case and decided to file on exactly what the State was seeking.

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Kamara's attorneys issued a statement about the indictment:

"The State has avoided a contested preliminary hearing by indicting Mr. Kamara. He intends to vigorously fight the allegations at trial as he was defending himself and others at the time of the incident."

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This is actually an important piece of this puzzle. We have heard almost nothing from Kamara's team about what they are doing and what their defense will be. This statement tells us that.

It appears they will be arguing Self Defense and Defense of Another.

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That's not unusual here, but strains credulity based on what we know. But we likely are missing some key details as well.

Now, what has changed today? Well, to be frank, not a whole lot. It is certainly noteworthy that things are underway, but let's not get over our skis.

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The case is still what we thought it was.

Let me remind you of the most important things you need to be thinking about with respect to the player, his future, and your fantasy teams. After all, that's what we are here for.

#FFLegalUpdate

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Will Kamara be suspended by the NFL in 2023?

I believe so, yes. How much is a much more difficult question. Remember how I was telling you he'd play in 2022 and this would be a 2023?

I've seen a lot of "buy low" chatter. I'd strongly oppose that idea.

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I'm officially sounding the alarm for Kamara for the upcoming year.

I want to be clear, I'm not at ALL convinced that he gets convicted of a Felony. Keep in mind that charge has mandatory prison time. My pure gut call is he pleads to something lesser.

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So why am I thinking he gets suspended? Because the NFL doesn't have to have a conviction. There is a huge difference between proof in a criminal court and the optics of this situation.

Remember the civil suit that was filed? We got some interesting info from that.

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But the big nugget was that there are somehow audio/video recordings of Kamara in the car after the incident.

Combine that with the video of the incident itself and he's got a huge barrier to get over with the league.

I think there is a lot of room to maneuver *legally*...

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...but far less room with Roger Goodell.

I've seen quite a bit of "he gets 6 games" from this.

No. Stop that myth. He gets 6 games MINIMUM if he's guilty of battery that is felonious.

If he's convicted of misdemeanors that 6 games has no relevance.

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Also don't forget the league can go ABOVE 6 games if they think the case is aggravated. Even if he escapes the felony (which again, seems likely), the league can do whatever they want if they deem this case to be significantly aggravated.

#FFLegalUpdate
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Again, the range of outcomes is WIDE. I do think the criminal case is handled before the season, but even if it drags into the fall it should conclude this calendar year.

Am I guaranteeing a suspension this year? Of course not. It's February and LOTS of things can happen.

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But I have zero interest in Kamara at this point until we get more clarity.

Please feel free to ask if you have more questions about why. This case is going to be difficult to resolve and could go all the way to the box.

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I'll keep you updated with every development along the way and what it means for you.

Thanks for reading if you got this far. Please RT the first tweet if this helped you. If not, thanks for your support!

This concludes your Alvin Kamara #FFLegalUpdate.

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