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After a six-day trial, jurors found former San Francisco 49er offensive tackle Kwame Harris guilty of multiple misdemeanors related to an assault of an ex-boyfriend at a Menlo Park restaurant.
The verdict, delivered in San Mateo County Superior Court on Nov. 4, convicted Mr. Harris of misdemeanor domestic violence, misdemeanor battery and two counts of misdemeanor assault. The jury acquitted the 31-year-old Palo Alto resident of two related felony charges.
Early in the trial, the victim, Southern California resident Dmitri Geier, announced that he would not testify, even though he had taken the stand during a preliminary hearing. He has also dropped a civil lawsuit filed against Mr. Harris.
According to the district attorney’s office, the two men got into an argument over a container of rice at Su Hong To Go on Aug. 21, 2012, which escalated into physical violence. Mr. Harris punched Mr. Geier in the face and head several times, breaking bones around an eye socket, prosecutors said. The injuries required surgical repair. Mr. Geier allegedly hit back.
Sacramento-based attorney Alin Cintean, who defended Mr. Harris in the criminal case, has said that Mr. Geier hit Mr. Harris first and that Mr. Harris made a “reasonable response” to being “wrongfully assaulted.”
The judge denied the prosecution’s request to take Mr. Harris into custody following his conviction; instead he is expected to report for sentencing on Nov. 12.
Almanac reporter Dave Boyce contributed to this story.
Amen, brother. Footballers are all date rapists and thugs. I saw some kids in football jerseys the other night, and I crossed the street so that they would not rape me. It’s very scary out there these days.
WOW, not ALL NFL or football players are thugs or rapists. CRAZY that you actually think that. To be on a team, in HS/School, you HAVE to have good grades & a good school record. Ridiculous comments! IT IS A SPORT! I laugh at “SO THEY WOULD NOT RAPE ME”. You have issues that are way beyond football.
It’s JUST Football not a psychiatric center or a prison. An AMERICAN SPORT that all races & cultures play. Calm down. It’s a strong grown man sport. You know nothing about it or the streets if you think it’s filled with thugs. The real thugs are out here… maybe in East Palo Alto & Oakland slanging rocks. Guns & dope houses 😉 Silly!
Yes, I agree. Football has nothing to do with this. He just happens to be a former player. Isn’t it domestic violence in a homosexual relationship??!! HA!
The NFL (or Natl Felons League) is loaded with thugs who are addicted to violence as their default solution for on and off field issues. I no longer ever watch football at any level. I grew up watching all levels of football… from HS thru Pro. Not any more.
I say take away the helmuts and pads and all the other protective gear and let “self preservation” modes kick in to reduce the gratuitous violence of the current Amer football silliness.