Apologies to Leigh Bodden

Last September, in the course of one of my most deranged Browns rants, I sniped at Leigh Bodden for his supposedly anti-social behavior in getting arrested at Hopkins. As you've probably heard by now, Bodden was acquitted of all charges yesterday -- or maybe a better word is "vindicated."

Based on media reports about what transpired at Bodden's trial, it appears that our friend Peter Friedman (his is the second comment to that deranged post) had it right all along when he said that Bodden was arrested for "Driving While Black." So, I sincerely apologize to Leigh Bodden, even though I admit that the odds that he gives a shit about that apology -- or what I said in the first place -- are pretty long.

I also salute him. Faced with an opportunity to avoid trial by accepting what's known as "diversion," Bodden stood his ground and took his chances with a jury. That took some guts, because aside from the discipline that the NFL would have handed out to him if he had been found guilty, the judicial system would have undoubtedly thrown the book at him for having the temerity to exercise his right to a jury trial.