Deommodore Lenoir’s misdemeanor charge may sound worse than it is. One legal expert says it’s no big deal — and the NFL likely won’t overreact either. Maybe.
Don’t lose sleep over the Deommodore Lenoir arrest, there’s not much to worry about.
That’s not speculation, that’s from a legal professional. NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco had Bay Area criminal defense attorney Todd Bequette on his YouTube channel to talk about Lenoir’s Thursday arrest.
First thing to note is the July 25 date. The San Francisco 49ers report to training camp on July 22, while Lenoir’s court appearance is scheduled for July 25 in Los Angeles. So the question becomes: does that jeopardize his start to camp?
“That’s not in jeopardy,” Bequette said to Maiocco about the situation. “Worst case, he’s charged with a misdemeanor; his legal counsel can appear for him on that date.”
Bequette went on to explain the number of misdemeanors and how legal counsel would advise Lenoir not to appear anyway.
From there, Bequette identified both a best-case and worst-case scenario, which would be if Lenoir’s case were not or was charged as a criminal case, respectively. If it’s a criminal case?
“I think the worst-case scenario for him might be an admission to a misdemeanor and perhaps some probation,” Bequette said. “But that truly is the worst-case scenario.”
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir was arrested Thursday for obstruction of justice, putting an end to what was a “drama-free” offseason. The incident involved one person tossing keys to Lenoir, who then tossed the keys to another individual. The vehicle in question contained a concealed weapon.
“Is that technically obstruction of justice? I suppose. If I were a betting man, I would say he will not be charged initially. If he is, it is de minimis conduct.”
While this seems to be less concerning from a legal standpoint, there’s still one more judge Lenoir needs to sit down with: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Once the legal issues are resolved, attention turns to the NFL’s personal conduct policy and whether a suspension for Lenoir is warranted. Yes, this is a first offense, and yes, all he did was “toss car keys”, but the NFL has been inconsistent with its punishments in the past. Obstruction of justice, even a minor violation, is still a breach of the personal conduct policy.
“There is obstruction of justice, and then there’s obstruction of justice. If we have the straight scoop from the reports so far, that his action was limited to ‘tossing keys,’ I can’t believe the NFL would deem that act to be detrimental to the integrity and the public confidence of the NFL.”
So overall? This might be something Lenoir and the 49ers laugh about a few years from now. The arrest is only two days old, though, so more information could still come out.
“It’s not a big deal at all… I just don’t think that this conduct will warrant prosecution from the LA County district attorney’s office or a suspension from the NFL.”