Well then. He actually filed a lawsuit stemming from his arrest at the San Luis Hotel in 2010. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Brandon Backe is alleging that a police officer ruined his pitching career by stomping on his shoulder. <a href="http://t.co/TYTBSs8eis">http://t.co/TYTBSs8eis</a></p>— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/statuses/449032842363027456">March 27, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Galveston police brutality trial under way By Harvey Rice | March 26, 2014 | Updated: March 26, 2014 9:09pm Ex-Astro Backe, 11 others sue police over Isle arrest Five years after more than 30 police officers swarmed into a wedding celebration at a Galveston hotel bar and used Tasers and pepper spray on the guests, officers and those they are accused of beating are squaring off in a Houston federal courtroom. Twelve men, including former Astros' pitcher Brandon Backe, are asking a jury to find that 15 police officers used excessive force and that city officials knew that police brutality was a persistent problem. The six men and six women on the jury are being asked to award the men an unspecified amount that would almost certainly come from Galveston taxpayers if the plaintiffs prevail. Defense attorney William Helfand said that the officers lack the financial wherewithal to pay an award. Millions to be sought Most of the plaintiffs don't have lasting injuries, but Backe will ask for an award that could run into the million's of dollars. Backe is alleging that a police officer ruined his pitching career by stomping on his shoulder. Former Galveston Police Chief Charles Wiley, who was chief at the time but has since retired, testified Wednesday on the third day of the trial that he was hired in July 2008 to make drastic changes to a police department plagued by a perception of excessive use of force, lack of discipline and ethical lapses. Settlement urged Under questioning by plaintiff's attorney Jim Zucker, Wiley said that a small portion of the force habitually failed to file use-of-force reports required by the department. His testimony came after the father of the bride, Gilbert O'Balle, testified under questioning by plaintiff's attorney Christopher Porter about a video showing him being shocked with a Taser gun fired by a Galveston police officer and another officer dropping on him with a knee. Helfand tried to pick apart O'Balle's testimony, at one point getting him to admit that he had made a fist that could have been perceived as threatening to the officer. O'Balle said that the still photo from the video showed him making a fist in reaction to the electric shock after he was tasered. He said he had his hands in the air and obeyed the officers. After the jury was dismissed, U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison urged the two sides to reach a settlement. Original thread: Brandon Backe Arrested No idea why it's in the Texans section.
Must be due to it being before they were separated. That is a long way to go back and sort. Backe was injury plagued and coming of a horrible year when that happened. I don't think he's likely to get much of anything. I love Backe for how clutch he was for us, but he was a bad player for the most part.
Yeah, I was kind of under the impression that Backe's pitching career was pretty much already over at that point. I guess he could argue a comeback, but that seems a silly thing for a jury (or judge) to decide. I didn't go back and look at the original thread. Were some or all of those policemen disciplined for the excessive use of force?
Heck of a playoff pitcher. Not so much in regular season. His shutout vs the Cards in 04 was a classic.
Maybe. What the witnesses are describing was an unruly crowd that turned on the 1 cop who was there. But I always fall back on what my Dad told me growing up. Don't argue or interfere with a Cop. What the Cop is doing may not be right but in court a tie goes to the Cop. Bad move by a public figure to insert himself in to that situation.
He was maddening in the regular season. Even his good starts weren't all that great because, thanks to his propensity for going deep into counts, he was generally toast by the fifth.
