Moats Family Issues Statement

BasX · Mar 30, 2009

On Monday, Texans running back Ryan Moats and his wife appeared on Good Morning America to talk about their March 18 run-in with Dallas police officer Robert Powell outside a hospital where Moats’ mother-in-law was dying.

(I haven’t seen it yet — I’m not sure Florio Jr.’s teacher would have accepted the “my dad needed to watch more television” excuse for tardiness. Especially since we’ve already used that excuse like fifteen times already this year.)

Also, Moats and his family have released a statement through the Texans, which seems to make fairly clear (at least for now) that the family considers the matter closed.

“The Moats Family would like to thank the public for all their support and for expressing their condolences during this difficult time,” the statement reads. “We will now be focusing on our family and healing during this time of grievance.”

That said, the statute of limitations on any potential civil lawsuit won’t expire for at least a year, maybe two. Whether and to what extent the Dallas Police Department disciplines Powell probably will have an impact on any decisions that Moats and his family might make after the grieving process has fully concluded.

In some cases, a civil action really isn’t about the money — it’s about the pursuit of a vague sense that, in the end, some type of justice was done. So if Powell returns to his beat with only a slap on the wrist, Moats and his family might conclude that litigation might be the only thing that forces real accountability. If, alternatively, he is permanently assigned to dispatch, or permanently booted from the force, there would be no need to use external procedures to effect meaningful change.

Too many corporations and organizations feel compelled to blindly defend their employee in these situations, for fear that taking action against the employee will help prove that the employee engaged in behavior that justifies a finding of negligent or intentional misconduct. Those who “get it” engage in a fair and objective assessment of the situation, resisting the knee-jerk temptation to circle the wagons.

Though decisive action against the employee could theoretically make a lawsuit stronger, it just might keep a lawsuit from ever being filed.

UPDATE: Here’s the video of the GMA segment. As the reader who sent it points out (and as we agree), they seem like very reasonable people.
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http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/03/30/moats-family-issues-statement/

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Moats Family Issues Statement

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