Secret NFL Child Abuse Arrest: Former NY Giant Michael Boley Had Charges Dropped
Former New York Giants linebacker Michael Boley was arrested for child abuse just three days after being dismissed from the team, it was revealed for the first time on Thursday.
Boley was released from the Giants on Feb. 5, 2013. Three days afterwards, he was arrested on charges of child abuse. The linebacker responded to the charges with a "guilty" plea, but word of the charges failed to reach public notice.
Boley was booked for charges on Feb. 8. Police fingerprinted and photographed him before releasing him later that day, TMZ reported. He was due to go to court before a grand jury later that month, the report claimed, but instead struck a plea bargain.
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As part of the plea bargain, the former NFL player was forced to enroll in a pre-trial diversion program; charges against him were dropped upon completion. Word of the charges brought against Boley never came to surface.
Sources have come forward, however, making the arrest public. Boley's son was five years old when the charges were pressed, an insider told TMZ. Few other details were provided, but it was confirmed the charges were of physical and not sexual abuse.
Boley's attorney, Randall Kessler, has declined comment regarding the issue, according to the Daily News. A source from the Giants, however, said that the decision to release the player had nothing to do with knowledge of his impending arrest. Cutting Boley saved the New York team an estimated $4.25 million, according to CBS news.
People who supported the player were skeptical of the details revolving around the abused allegations. Some online users suggested that a distinction should be made between "discipline" and "abuse."
"Shame they can't go into more detail," one user wrote on a CBS Sports blog. "If getting spanked is abuse then that's a tough wrap. If he's hitting his kids with a fist (opened or closed) then he should do time."
