Bengals Draft Pick Uses a Concussion as Defense for Driving Into an Apartment Complex

You may remember there was some buzz when the Bengals drafted Fresno State DT Jason Shirley. Shirley, up to that time, was best known for driving drunk and smashing his car into an apartment building.

Well, the court case for that incident has started (Shirley faces four misdemeanor charges) and the defense seems to suggest that a concussion he suffered during a game may have contributed to all of this.

Dr. William Carveth, an official team doctor the past three seasons, testified that the concussion Shirley sustained days before he drove a car into a townhome complex in the late night hours of Oct. 8 could have compounded the effects of the alcohol he drank that night and affected his decision making, emotional stability and ability to follow directions.

Carveth met with Shirley on the afternoon of Oct. 8, two days after Shirley sustained a concussion in the Bulldogs' game against Nevada. At that time, Carveth reported Shirley had "a mild, if any, concussion."

Now, that second paragraph is interesting. October 8th was the night that Shirley plowed his car into that apartment building. In more testimony, Carveth stated that Shirley continued to have pain and ... a month later ... Carveth wrote a letter to the school saying he had a "moderate" concussion (Shirley was trying to get reinstated to Fresno State).

The defense also brought out Fresno State head coach Pat Hill, two FSU basketball players and a track and field athlete. They also had the apartment complex manager state that the lights around the accident scene had been out.

As I type this, the case is in the jury's hands.