Malik McDowell

[Seymour]

It has been mentioned in this thread that there is no record of the ATV accident. Where did this accident supposedly occur? Does that state require personal injury accidents to be reported? If so, then there should be a police report. If this was never reported to the police, then why not? Was he under the influence of alcohol or drugs? There are a lot of unanswered questions in this post. If he was involved in a serious personal injury accident, then there should definitely be some sort of police report. One of the most common reasons why accidents like this go unreported, is because the driver is intoxicated.

It was mid July and he was in Michigan somewhere.

So, are there any Michigan folks in here? Is it a law in Michigan that personal injury accidents be reported?

Not sure. What I had heard from Bell on the radio a month or so ago said they investigated and worked with the local news in the area the accident was in and found no trace of any accident. Being an ATV and not a licensed motor vehicle likely changes many of the reporting rules I would think (Police, accident...ect). The whole thing is really weird, and made worse by his failure to explain the incident. All I know is that to go to that extent to keep everything under raps takes a lot of effort and usually there is a very good reason to conceal information.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

The Experts don't know more than Pete and John, regardless what you think. Smell Diaper is not an expert.
Most of these "experts" didn't even play the game. They are paid to make opinions. And it has zero impact and what a team is going to do. Like many teams, they have made some bad draft choices, but have also made a lot very good ones. Especially in the mid to late rounds.

 

[WmHBonney]

It has been mentioned in this thread that there is no record of the ATV accident. Where did this accident supposedly occur? Does that state require personal injury accidents to be reported? If so, then there should be a police report. If this was never reported to the police, then why not? Was he under the influence of alcohol or drugs? There are a lot of unanswered questions in this post. If he was involved in a serious personal injury accident, then there should definitely be some sort of police report. One of the most common reasons why accidents like this go unreported, is because the driver is intoxicated.

It was mid July and he was in Michigan somewhere.

So, are there any Michigan folks in here? Is it a law in Michigan that personal injury accidents be reported?

Not sure. What I had heard from Bell on the radio a month or so ago said they investigated and worked with the local news in the area the accident was in and found no trace of any accident. Being an ATV and not a licensed motor vehicle likely changes many of the reporting rules I would think (Police, accident...ect). The whole thing is really weird, and made worse by his failure to explain the incident. All I know is that to go to that extent to keep everything under raps takes a lot of effort and usually there is a very good reason to conceal information.

In NY state, an ATV is not classified as a motor vehicle. However, personal injury ATV accidents are reportable. Further, you can be arrested for DWI while operating an ATV, and, even though you do not need a license to operate an ATV, the arrest WILL have a negative impact on your driver's license. The local news media in that area should have checked with the police and go from there.

 

[Seymour]

It was mid July and he was in Michigan somewhere.

So, are there any Michigan folks in here? Is it a law in Michigan that personal injury accidents be reported?

Not sure. What I had heard from Bell on the radio a month or so ago said they investigated and worked with the local news in the area the accident was in and found no trace of any accident. Being an ATV and not a licensed motor vehicle likely changes many of the reporting rules I would think (Police, accident...ect). The whole thing is really weird, and made worse by his failure to explain the incident. All I know is that to go to that extent to keep everything under raps takes a lot of effort and usually there is a very good reason to conceal information.

In NY state, an ATV is not classified as a motor vehicle. However, personal injury ATV accidents are reportable. Further, you can be arrested for DWI while operating an ATV, and, even though you do not need a license to operate an ATV, the arrest WILL have a negative impact on your driver's license. The local news media in that area should have checked with the police and go from there.

He said they checked all that. Police, hospitals, 911 records....ect and came up with nothing. All very suspect IMO. Say something else really happened like he got hit in the head with a brick in a fight. A call to his lawyer / agent could concoct this false story to cover things up also.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

In this day and age, it's nothing short of incredible that this has been so secretive. To this day, we STILL have no true details. It's crazy.

 

[Seymour]

In this day and age, it's nothing short of incredible that this has been so secretive. To this day, we STILL have no true details. It's crazy.

Yep....yet Lord Brady gets bit by a dog and it's instant world news. :roll:

[tweet]https://twitter.com/MikeReiss/status/958830251647389696[/tweet]

 

[mikeak]

Easy to say after the fact that a pick was horrible. .

except the fact that the concerns about his motivation were expressed PRIOR to the draft and it is why he fell........

You go back to the draft forum and we were MANY that were pissed that they kept trading down and down out of the first round, give the 49ers a player they wanted (with a 5th year option) while we lost the 5th year option and didn't get one of the guys that we needed.

Then the FO goes and trade for Brown during the year and proves the point........combined with Malik getting himself injured proving that point made PRIOR

 

[IndyHawk]

It has been mentioned in this thread that there is no record of the ATV accident. Where did this accident supposedly occur? Does that state require personal injury accidents to be reported? If so, then there should be a police report. If this was never reported to the police, then why not? Was he under the influence of alcohol or drugs? There are a lot of unanswered questions in this post. If he was involved in a serious personal injury accident, then there should definitely be some sort of police report. One of the most common reasons why accidents like this go unreported, is because the driver is intoxicated.

It was mid July and he was in Michigan somewhere.

So, are there any Michigan folks in here? Is it a law in Michigan that personal injury accidents be reported?

That would be Andrea"SeahawkGal"

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Fans being mad has no bearing on who they pick. Let alone "experts"
The league has plenty of players who came in with a questionable past and/or red flags. And they have turned out just fine.
They took a shot, it didn't work. On to the next draft. Dwelling on it doesn't change a thing.

 

[HawkGA]

It has been mentioned in this thread that there is no record of the ATV accident. Where did this accident supposedly occur? Does that state require personal injury accidents to be reported? If so, then there should be a police report. If this was never reported to the police, then why not? Was he under the influence of alcohol or drugs? There are a lot of unanswered questions in this post. If he was involved in a serious personal injury accident, then there should definitely be some sort of police report. One of the most common reasons why accidents like this go unreported, is because the driver is intoxicated.

I've never done any off-road ATVing, but if I were involved in an accident and I was the only one involved, it would never occur to me to report it to the police.

 

[jammerhawk]

Would anyone here be slagging McDowell as draft bust if he'd played this last season after being drafted then tore an ACL?

Doubt it, except for his drunken disrespectful stupidity after getting arrested for drunken foolishness in a bar. Is he respectful of authority? It clearly appears not. He he proven to be smart in his private life? It apears not, but young people frequently do and say stupid things. Can he play football at a high level? He's shown that in college with occasional motivational lapses. Will he pan out as a solid draft pick? Who knows for sure yet? Has he gotten off to a weak start? Absolutely! Am I disaaponted that he missed the whole of last season and my team paid for crappy ATV driving amd many medical assessments? Absolutely no doubt!

How do we know he's a bust yet, he hasn't even played a single snap yet? Does someone here have crystal ball? Or is it really just more of I hated the pick when it was made and after the season they could have done so much better with player R or player F or whomever?

Drafting players is far from a perfect science but this FO hasn't done too badly over the years. Applying retrospective thinking to the players drafted always leaves someone to say we'd have been so much better with player X instead of player Y, along with the obligatory "I always knew this player would be a bust", when drafting experts seemingly didn't think as much. Does this mean the team screwed up making his pick? I'm sure if they'd known he was going to have to be placed on NFI for a season and could potentially never play again after smashing his head and suffering a significant concussion in a rollover ATV accident they'd have passed on the player as well. he'd still have been drafted early for his immense potential.

It was apparent the team graded his potential to be that of a first round pick and he was wideley thought to be one of the guys they possibly wanted at pick #25, yet were still able to get at pick #34 along with quite a few other picks. I'd bet they were happy with the pick at the time.

Have the details of this accident ever been disclosed in any fullsome way? Nope! At this stage considering the one year free payment ride for McDowell on NFI it's about time for us to hear from McDowell as to what happened. The team is not allowed to talk about the player's injuries that were not part of his football career but if the player wants to maintain any ongoing credibility he needs to start talking about his situation and where he tinks things are going.

H8Rs are going to H8. Reason and common sense often have little to do with opinions.

Just sayin'.

 

[LickMyNuts]

This guy is a bum. Time to eat the wasted pick and move on.

Why say this if McDowell can play, or has the possibility to play this year or next?

Dude's not 34, he's 21. We can all be pissed off at his stupidity, yet still be patient to see if he can play or not.

Just based on my observations over the last 30 years of NFL players

I'm not mad at him. I genuinely wish him the best in life.

Fans tend to underestimate how hard it is to make it in the NFL no matter how talented you are.

There are a lot of guys out there working 24/7 to make themselves better. If you don't catch that train you get left behind in a hurry.

 

[Seahawkfan80]

It has been mentioned in this thread that there is no record of the ATV accident. Where did this accident supposedly occur? Does that state require personal injury accidents to be reported? If so, then there should be a police report. If this was never reported to the police, then why not? Was he under the influence of alcohol or drugs? There are a lot of unanswered questions in this post. If he was involved in a serious personal injury accident, then there should definitely be some sort of police report. One of the most common reasons why accidents like this go unreported, is because the driver is intoxicated.

I've never done any off-road ATVing, but if I were involved in an accident and I was the only one involved, it would never occur to me to report it to the police.

I have done a LOT OF OFF road ATVing...We have a lot of fun. A friend just got a killer a couple of years ago...and it almost had another. He got rid of it. NO accident filed as we were in our area. He has another wheeler and has learned the rules better. We also use them as a hunting tool. I rolled mine too but it was a slow roll. I have 3 of them. I do not wear a helmet as it is my choice and I pay attention to what is going on around me. Them deer better start paying more attention too. It is my life, I choose to do what I do. Have a great day.

 

[King Dog]

Holy smokes. Is there ever going to be some real news on this guy? Unbelievable how close to the vest this has been kept.

 

[original poster]

It's nothing short of incredibly impressive how under wraps they've kept everything.

Hats off to them.

 

[jammerhawk]

Stuff happens, and some of it is simply bad luck.

The whole fire his butt, cut bait rant here from a few fails to acknowledge this young man got hurt in a serious accident that caused him a head injury that prevented him even playing a single down of football last season. For certain he was widely considered a top tier prospect in the draft and that fact is known. Some ‘draft experts’ thought he may have motivational issues, yet was at times totally dominant positionally at an area the team needed help. We as fans saw nothing from him in a year except some potential along with galactic stupidity inferred from his accident and his involvement in a drunken fiasco which revealed self entitlement and significant disrespect of authority. Has the head injury that rendered him incapable of playing a down of football destroyed his potential to play professional football? So far we don’t know, but that doesn’t justify chopping this young player from the team, just giving up on him without examining his football potential as professional player. The decision on that will come this offseason

Was the accident his fault? Simply we don’t know. It is a fair question why we don’t know more but the blame for that doesn’t rest with the team, but rather with the lack of media interest, weak reporting on the subject, and silence from McDowell who has significant self interest in keeping him mouth shut about a situation that places his professional career in jeopardy or could cost him more money than he would ever be able to repay. He has likely rec’d advice from his agent or lawyer to keep quiet. It would have been simply just another frustrating mystery save for his night out and fiasco at the club and disappointing poor behaviour towards the police. This raises a character question that only McDowell will need to answer as a football player and as a man. We will learn over time if the pick was a mistaken over reach and if the player can play at a level to justify his pick. So far the basis for that decision has not started well but that has zero to do with a single moment of play on the fielder any thing the team could have done about it.

 

[Seymour]

Great post Jammer, and I agree. I should clarify my comment "all I've seen is bust at this point". That means just that, it's all I've seen. But cutting him at this point is silly unless they have information that he cannot play again and it saves money, would be the only scenario that makes sense to cut him lose at this point.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

True, zero reason to cut bait with him. The fact that he didn't play a down means they have him for the full original contract, which if he turns out to be a great player, nice.

 

[Chapow]

It has been mentioned in this thread that there is no record of the ATV accident. Where did this accident supposedly occur? Does that state require personal injury accidents to be reported? If so, then there should be a police report. If this was never reported to the police, then why not? Was he under the influence of alcohol or drugs? There are a lot of unanswered questions in this post. If he was involved in a serious personal injury accident, then there should definitely be some sort of police report. One of the most common reasons why accidents like this go unreported, is because the driver is intoxicated.

I've never done any off-road ATVing, but if I were involved in an accident and I was the only one involved, it would never occur to me to report it to the police.

I have done a LOT OF OFF road ATVing...We have a lot of fun. A friend just got a killer a couple of years ago...and it almost had another. He got rid of it. NO accident filed as we were in our area. He has another wheeler and has learned the rules better. We also use them as a hunting tool. I rolled mine too but it was a slow roll. I have 3 of them. I do not wear a helmet as it is my choice and I pay attention to what is going on around me. Them deer better start paying more attention too. It is my life, I choose to do what I do. Have a great day.

I've also done a ton of riding in my life. If I had to guess, I'd say the number of days I've spent riding in the past 20 years is somewhere in the several hundreds. I ride a pretty highly modified high performance 700 sport quad and all the guys I ride with ride similar high performance machines. We like to go fast and we like to ride challenging terrain. Due to the nature of what we ride and how we ride, accidents are fairly common. Over the years we've had an untold number of injuries, everything from bumps, bruises, and cuts/scrapes to broken arms, legs, ribs, torn ACL's, concussions, etc. None of these have ever been reported to the police. The thought has never occurred to me and quite frankly, I have no idea what the point would be. Could you just imagine that conversation?

Me: "Hey, just wanted to report that my buddy crashed his quad and broke his leg."
Police: "Do you require assistance?"
Me: "No, just reporting the incident."
Police: "Why? What do you expect us to do with that information?"
Me: "I don't know, just thought I was supposed to report it."
Police: "So no laws were broken and you don't require assistance?"
Me: "Correct."
Police: "Uh, OK. Good luck and have a nice day."

I mean, I'm sorry, but this idea that there would be a police report for a guy that crashed his quad is pretty absurd. Even if it is a law that something like that must be reported, and I highly doubt that it is, I don't think most people would even know about it and most of those that did know about it probably wouldn't bother.

TL;DR, LOL at the idea that there should/would be a record of an ATV accident and even bigger LOL at the idea that there must be some conspiracy or cover up because there is no record of some dude messing around and crashing his ATV.

Do you guys even think this stuff through before you post?

 

[SoulfishHawk]

:snack: