Robinson rips false accusation
Addresses Bears teammates about assault innuendo
December 04, 2003|By David Haugh, Tribune staff reporter.
In Bryan Robinson's mind, the indignity had gone far enough when it followed him into Halas Hall.
The false allegation that the Bears' defensive tackle sexually assaulted another man Monday had spawned rumors all over the city that Robinson considered harmful to his reputation as a person and as a player. Robinson knew his Bears teammates had heard the gossip during their two days off, and seven years of pro experience told him a football locker room can be as unforgiving as it can be tolerant.
So before practice Wednesday, Robinson talked to the group of people whose judgment matters most to him--a jury of his NFL peers.
"I'll talk about this once and I won't talk about it again," Robinson told reporters in front of his locker at Halas Hall. "I definitely refuse to perpetuate a dead issue. The false accusations are wrong, and personally and professionally they could be damaging if I allow a certain individual to get under my skin. . . . I wanted to address the team [Wednesday] morning, to just be careful. Because at any given time it can happen to you . . . it happened to me."
Lake County prosecutors declined to press sexual assault charges against Robinson after executing a search warrant Monday in his Gurnee home. A man had filed a complaint alleging Robinson either late Sunday or early Monday assaulted him in the residence. Police found no evidence to support the allegation and concluded the accuser had lied. Lake County officials said Wednesday charges won't be filed against the man, but Robinson said he's considering suing him.
Regardless of the course the legal system took, the court of public opinion already had been unduly influenced by innuendo, as far as Robinson was concerned.
"It just goes to show that we as professional athletes need to be careful, we are targets," Robinson said. "You sit and you see things on TV and you say `How could that have happened to this person or how could you get caught in that situation?' But I'm proof that it can happen to anybody."
Robinson didn't elaborate on how well he knew the accuser or the details of what occurred to lead police to search his house. In a scene that seemed reminiscent of an episode of the controversial ESPN show "Playmakers," Robinson took a deep breath and urged caution for anyone jumping to conclusions about the incident or its implications.
"Right now I just want to be certain my name was not affiliated with anything like that and just cleared me, first and foremost," Robinson said. "As far as I'm concerned, it's a dead issue."
Defensive end Phillip Daniels, one of Robinson's closest friends on the Bears and who worked out with him in Atlanta during the off-season, never believed any aspect of the allegation. Daniels said "nobody in the organization" did. He called Robinson on Monday to offer support. Though no criminal charges were filed against Robinson, Daniels expects there might be a bumpy ride ahead for his buddy.
"You never want this to happen to you because even though everybody knows what's true, he has to live with the jokes for a while and that's how it is," Daniels said. "But everybody knows Bryan and what kind of person he is, and for another person to do that to him, it's ridiculous.
"I only got part of the story and at first thought it was a woman [accuser]. Once I heard it was a guy, I went about my business again, because I knew that couldn't be true. That's not Bryan."
Wednesday marked the second time this season Robinson has tried to distance himself from a personal issue that threatened to become a team concern.
Last May, Robinson was convicted for the second time in a year of driving under the influence and spent 17 days in a Lake County rehabilitation center. On the first day of training camp in July, Robinson publicly confronted that ordeal the same way he did this one; with lots of determination, if not details.
Then and now, football provided the avenue down which Robinson traveled to find personal tranquility.
"The thing about coming to work is it's kind of like an escape from everything," Robinson said. "You're with your friends, you're on the field playing football and it's sort of a safe haven, so to speak.
"We say it so much, but it's true: When something really tough comes down, you can always confide in your teammates.
"As much as I've been through in the last year, with the DUI and everything, and now this, it's kind of comforting to come back and talk to the guys."