The Seattle Seahawks are under fire for selecting former Michigan Wolverine Frank Clark in the second round of the NFL Draft in light of his being thrown off the team because of a domestic violence incident. Seahawks general manager John Schneider said the team investigated the incident and found Clark hadn't assaulted his then-girlfriend.
A new report in The Seattle Times says that's not true.
Lis Babson, 44, and Kristie Colie, 43, told the newspaper that they saw Clark's girlfriend "beaten up" on the floor of her hotel room after they heard loud banging and yelling from their own room.
"She looked unconscious,'' Colie said. "She looked like she was knocked out, and then she started to move slowly.'' The woman, Diamond Hurt, said Clark had punched her in the face and her brothers corroborated her story.
Clark was charged with misdemeanors for domestic violence and assault, but pled guilty three weeks ago to lesser charges of persistent disorderly conduct that came with a $250 fine, no jail time and no domestic violence record.
Schneider said the team did extensive research on the incident and would have removed Clark from their draft board if they believed he had struck a woman. Later, a statement indicated they'd conducted "confidential interviews with people directly involved with the case.''
They did not, however, speak to the two witnesses who saw Hurt lying on the floor after Clark allegedly punched her, and grabbed her by the throat before slamming her down. The Seahawks didn't speak with Hurt's brothers either, who witnessed the violence.
One brother said he saw Clark punch her, and in the police report Hurt was said to have abrasions on the side of her face and her neck along with a rug burn on her hip.
Clark's lawyer issued a statement denying Clark had hit her.
"I want to assure you that based upon many conversations with Frank Clark, I am comfortable re-affirming his prior statements that he did not strike his then-girlfriend."
At the time of the incident Clark said he "did not touch that woman," but the two female witnesses said he looked drunk, and one of Hurt's brothers told police he had consumed a fifth of Hennessy.
Clark recorded 35 sacks in his career with the Wolverines.
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