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 or Google Play now. You can find Art Thiel's work at Sportspress Northwest and Crosscut.com.
