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Boykin Release Opportunity For Seahawks To Take A Stand Against Domestic Violence

Elaine Thompson
/
AP Photo
Seahawks backup quarterback Trevone Boykin stands on the field after the NFL preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016, in Seattle.

KNKX sports commentator Art Thiel is calling for the Seahawks to take a stand against domestic violence following their release of backup quarterback Trevone Boykin this week, after his girlfriend says he assaulted her and broke her jaw.

It's the topic of Art's conversation this week with KNKX Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick.

Not First Time For Boykin

Police in Mansfield, southwest of Dallas, have charged Boykin with aggravated assault. Thiel details the alleged crime in a column for Sportspress Northwest.

"This was a heinous episode of domestic violence," Thiel said. "And it was not the first episode between the couple."

"The woman (Shabrika Bailey) described another episode for which there was an arrest. Last year when he was a Seahawk, they were in a car that backed into a Dallas-area nightclub."

"They were both cited for intoxication and she revealed in the interview with WFAA-TV that he was in the back seat assaulting her and she knocked the car into reverse and that's why it hit the club."

"And then there was a third episode involving Boykin when he was a senior at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth."

"He was kicked out of a hotel two days prior to the Alamo Bowl because he got in a bar fight. And when the police arrived, he was accused of assaulting an officer."

"So that's way more than enough for the Seahawks to have fired him within two hours of the story breaking on what happened with his girlfriend."

Opportunity For Seahawks

Thiel sees the news as a chance for the Seahawks to take a meaningful stand against domestic violence.

"The Seahawks have had a great reputation in the NFL for being a team with a social conscience where players are allowed to speak freely on controversial issues," he said. "And I think a proactive position on domestic violence is called for here."

"They need to really make the commitment to not hire players with any history of domestic violence. Now, there was no history with Boykin in this regard but they've got to make a commitment so that people know that this is a meaningful, conscientious effort by the Seahawks to avoid a repetition of what happened here."

The Seahawks have a history of drafting players with violent, or allegedly violent, backgrounds. Art has talked about that in his weekly commentaries in the past.

Never miss an episode again. Subscribe to Sports With Art Thiel with iTunes orGoogle Play now. You can find Art Thiel's work at Sportspress Northwest and Crosscut.com.

Kirsten Kendrick hosts Morning Edition on KNKX and the sports interview series "Going Deep," talking with folks tied to sports in our region about what drives them — as professionals and people.
Art Thiel is a co-founder and writer for the rising sports website Sportspress Northwest. In 2003 Thiel wrote the definitive book about the Seattle Mariners, “Out of Left Field,” which became a regional bestseller. In 2009, along with Steve Rudman and KJR 950 afternoon host Mike Gastineau, Thiel authored “The Great Book of Seattle Sports Lists,” a cross between historylink.org and Mad Magazine that has become mandatory reading for any sports fan who has an indoor bathroom.