The attorney for suspended Florida State running back Dalvin Cook told theDemocrat on Friday that his client was innocent of misdemeanor battery.
He also provided a document that highlights — in great detail — his problems with the probable cause affidavit that led to Cook’s arrest.
Ricky Patel, an attorney based in Miami, said Cook was not guilty of punching a young woman in the face outside a Tallahassee bar in June. And that he had many concerns about the evidence used to charge the star Florida State running back.
“How are so many holes in this?” Patel asked.
“First the alleged victim states that five to seven football players hit in her the face. The main witness is her friend, who is 19 years old, under age, and intoxicated to the point where she can barely talk. The only thing the officer understands from her is: ‘Not Rudolph.’ And ‘dreadlocks.’
“The independent witness states that none of the individuals in the lineup (which included Cook) were involved in this at all. ... And the girl’s father, who was never even there, states to the officer that he’s 100 percent sure it was Dalvin Cook. After he was shown social-media pictures of Dalvin. And the father was not there.”
Cook was suspended on July 10 by Florida State when State Attorney Willie Meggs charged him with misdemeanor battery.
The alleged incident took place on June 23, one night before former FSU quarterback De’Andre Johnson got into an altercation with a woman at another Tallahassee bar.
Johnson was kicked off the team on July 6 after a video was released showing him punching the young woman in the face after a brief skirmish.
Meanwhile, since Cook was arrested, Patel says his client has been getting “a lot of hate mail from white supremacists for supposedly beating up on an innocent white woman.”
“There are two points to make here,” Patel said.
“Number One: He didn’t punch anyone. Number Two is: The alleged victim is a black female. And this is another instance of people assuming Dalvin Cook is the same guy that has been shown on other videos of other athletes at Florida State. And he isn’t.
“... He didn’t punch anyone.”
with a couple of drug charges
