Furman details coming out

Submitted by nofunforfu on

Michael Rothstein has an article out featuring today's testimony from Josh Furman's trial. I'll add the link but it looks like the situation was overblown and, unless something new comes out, I think Furman should be back on the field for fall practice. 

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7847931/witnesses-say-threatened-michigan-wolverines-s-josh-furman

artds

April 23rd, 2012 at 10:53 PM ^

sounds overblown. It's not like he went all sparty and physically and/or sexually assaulted someone. Based on what's been made public, I wouldn't be surprised if the charges were dropped by next week. I seriously doubt the Washtenenaw County Prosecutor's office has the time and resources to waste on some nonsense like this.

Humen

April 23rd, 2012 at 10:53 PM ^

Obviously, he was not out of control or anything. If two females can restrain an angry Furman, then we should look at them for OL depth. 

mGrowOld

April 23rd, 2012 at 10:58 PM ^

So if this recap is correct Furman is in trouble because some other dude was sending explicit texts to a girl he knew and he wanted to confront said texing guy hiding in a room in one of the girl's apartment.  And when Furman wouldnt leave it sounds like texting guy called the cops rather than confront Furman.  Furman hit no one, threatened no one but according to the femaile witnesses had Furman actually gotten to said texting guy "it wouldn't have ended well."

Not sure how the law views these situations but as a father of 22 year old girl I can tell you I'd shake his hand if it was my daughter getting the texts and Furman was confronting said texting guy.

 

Needs

April 23rd, 2012 at 11:03 PM ^

It's unclear from the report whether the third witness (the guy who called the cops) was texting guy or some other guy who lived in the apartment.

Actually, upon rereading it, I think the third witness was not the guy Furman was there to confront.

"The third witness, who called 911, also testified Monday he did not realize at the time Furman was not attacking the girls but rather trying to reach a back room where the man who sent the text messages was." 

 

ThadMattasagoblin

April 23rd, 2012 at 11:01 PM ^

I knew there was something up when I read about how great a guy he was, and it didn't seem like him to be suspended.  I'm hapy to have coach Hoke when you have the two of the highest arrest rates at our two rival big ten schools.

Blazefire

April 23rd, 2012 at 11:22 PM ^

Furman should have known better. I mean, you're not just a college student. You're a representative of the University of Michigan. You just do not go ANYWHERE looking for trouble. Gotta keep a cooler head than that and find a more constructive solution. Assuming the guy sending the texts was a student, it'd have been much more worth while to take your concerns and evidence to the dean of that guy's program and have him punished through the school.

That said, he went there to uphold the honor of a girl he knew, neither attacked nor threatened anyone, and left peacefully. Sounds like he should be reinstated right away.

Sione's Flow

April 23rd, 2012 at 11:23 PM ^

Hope as more details become available it becomes clear, that Furman was actually attempting to do the right thing, he just unfortunately was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  

 

LSA Superstar

April 23rd, 2012 at 11:55 PM ^

Bloo bloo bloo.

We'll see who you call when your daughter is in trouble, or when a utility company damages your sister's property, or when your best friend is discharged from his employer because he's black, or when your business needs to negotiate with a labor union that has taken a hardline position.

This isn't directed at you personally, but hating the legal system is like hating nature. The only reason you'd be able to say that it sucks as a broad, overarching statement is if you feel threatened by it and you don't understand it.

nofunforfu

April 23rd, 2012 at 11:33 PM ^

Barring new testimony, you have to feel bad for him. To proceed to trial you would imagine the prosecutor would have some evidence of a physical assault or direct life-threatening verbal threats from Furman towards the victim, but if what the witnesses testified is what actually happened you know all spring he had to be thinking "I'm missing spring ball for THIS?"

ChiBlueBoy

April 23rd, 2012 at 11:47 PM ^

He was in someone else's home, threatening a person. He was asked to leave and didn't right away. He's a young man who put himself in a bad situation. I hope he's learned from this and this promotes his maturation.

I agree that the prosecutor seems overly zealous not to have reached a plea agreement on it, but that's in her discretion.

My hope is that this doesn't derail his career here and that he learns better ways of dealing with these sorts of situations. He also did something stupid, and he should learn that there are consequences. That said, many of us have done equally stupid things, and this seems a good situation for justice mixed with mercy.

profitgoblue

April 24th, 2012 at 12:25 PM ^

I hear what you're saying from one standpoint.  From the other, I would like to think that the law is protecting me and my family if someone is in my home threating us about anything.  Of course, this is much less significant than the scenario I'm about to describe, but the legal principles are the same:  The "castle rule" is one of the oldest and most protective laws - everyone should feel safe in their homes.  I've got no problem with the city using de minimis funds to have a junior prosecutor handle the case and press the issue.  It at least makes this guy and his family feel just a little safer in a world where homes aren't as safe as they used to be (e.g. security systems are everywhere these days).

Bb011

April 23rd, 2012 at 11:48 PM ^

As someone who does know the details, I will say that this is way overblown. It wouldn't surprise me at all if all of the charges are dropped. (As they should be)

Section 1

April 24th, 2012 at 12:04 AM ^

All misdemeanor charges; is this a bench trial?  It would not surprise me, if the defense waived a jury and asked for a bench trial, because the charges seem so silly.

What happens at South Quad should stay at South Quad.

Am I getting this right?  This was a non-fight, that was provoked by something that was texted?  If I were the judge I'd take away all of their phones through the rest of 2012.

NoMoPincherBug

April 24th, 2012 at 12:08 AM ^

I got in to a brawl once in college...some guys tried to crash our party and I got suckerpunched.  All hell broke loose in the hallway.  Police came but no one was arrested.  It happens when you are that age... However Coach Hoke no doubt has had a conversation with Josh about keeping a cool head, particularly since he is a high profile student athlete.

burtcomma

April 24th, 2012 at 1:14 AM ^

That this kind of stuff was handled discretely and directly with a little conversation and some time for cooler heads to prevail, as I can testify as a former resident advisor in South Quad back int he days of Bo.  Someone would get me, I would remind the young man that it would be smarter to come on back to his room with me and we would be sure that the offending party understood the massiveness of his transgression, and things were locked down and kept to a lower level simply to avoid problems for all concerned.  I could always get their attention by reminding them that Bo had given me his phone number and said that if I ever had an issue, I was required to call him directly anytime day or night.  That usually "sobered them up" one way or another.

Unfortunately, that mentality and path has gone away with everyone calling the police and filing complaints and what not instead of taking a more we are a community lets get these things handled and taken care of approach.  I understand why, just the way things are today in today's hypersenstivie college environment, but a little teaching and learning is always appropriate.

burtcomma

April 24th, 2012 at 1:06 PM ^

Only once, and after that, never again simply because word got out fast that when I said if we had any problems I would call Bo and that he had provided me with his number, I had the credibility required to demonstrate that I did.  Got to meet him a couple times after that for summer high school football camps and other stuff, people hve some image of him as a hardass, but in reality, one of the most charming and intelligent men I ever met. 

 

ClearEyesFullHart

April 24th, 2012 at 2:49 AM ^

I actually read the headline Furman details "coming out" as you suggested.  I was thinking, "Darn, that takes a lot of courage for a guy who is going to be sharing the locker room with 90 guys" That would make for one heck of a Free Press headline.

At any rate, I am glad to hear that Furman's legal troubles are of the petty/relatively harmless variety.

DeadMan

April 24th, 2012 at 1:31 AM ^

Why is the prosecutor wasting everybody's time and money with this trial? It sounds like a situation that happens probably ten times in Ann Arbor every night. Call the cops, have a come to jesus meeting with Furman, and leave it there. The prosecutor is a dick for having it go anywhere past that (but hey, she got on ESPN!). Unfortunately, that article makes it seem like he'll be convicted of the illegal entry, which is a same for Furman. I hope he gets a repreive from Hoke and the justice system.

On a different note, that article is pretty terrible. It doesn't say whether it is a jury or bench trial, which is kind of a big deal. A jury is more likely to be compassionate and not convict Furman on these facts, but I'm guessing a judge would. That's kind of key information, Mr. Rothstein.

acs236

April 24th, 2012 at 4:43 AM ^

Unless it's just a case where she made some ultimatum prior to trial that once the trial started, she wouldn't accept any plea deals.  But the fact that not a judge or jury is going to have to decide this makes me nervous. 

Feat of Clay

April 24th, 2012 at 9:22 AM ^

It is, indeed, beginning to sound like an unnecessary fuss & expense. 

That said, I suppose if you're the prosecutor, you're sensitive about potential accusations that your office makes sweet deals and/or sweeps things under the rug for university athletes.  Pursuing a case or dropping it is careful judgment call, and I imagine even an objective, well-meaning prosecutor doesn't always get it right. 

 

lhglrkwg

April 24th, 2012 at 6:35 AM ^

If someone is treating one of your girl-friends (friends who is a girl) like that, it's hard not to get worked up. I wouldn't have thought about Michigan football at the time, I'd be thinking about telling texting guy to STFU.