He was part of perfection. From the NY Times:
Mercury Morris, who gave speed and dexterity to the rushing attack of the Miami Dolphins in the early 1970s, helping to power the team to two Super Bowls and the only perfect season in the history of the National Football League, died on Saturday night. He was 77.
His son Troy announced the death in a statement that did not specify the cause or where Morris was at the time.
During a six-year tenure with the Dolphins, from 1969 to 1975, Morris qualified for the Pro Bowl three times.
In an insane piece of Miami history, he was charged and convicted of cocaine distribution. He tetsified in his own defense. Judge Ellen Morphonios said after the verdict, "I feel bad for you, Merc. I'm just sorry." But then she took him into custody and later sentenced to 20 years in prison!
Assistant State attorney George Yoss said after the verdict: "Obviously I'm very satistfied... It's a stiff punishment but the Legislature has decided that those who deal in drugs must pay the price." "We cheered when he caught the football. We booed when he fumbled,'"Yoss had told the jury. 'But he fumbled a lot more than a football game. He fumbled his life away."
The Florida Supreme Court reversed, holding that the trial court erred in not permitted Morris to present his entrapment defense. Morris maintained his innocence.
4 comments:
Morphonios was nuts. She hurt a lot of people who are still serving insane sentences. Interesting that at the FLSC win Morris was represented by public defenders, guess the football money was all gone.
Holy moley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L05lPFC9wi4
NFL players didn't make much back then - maybe tens of thousands a year. In today's money, maybe $250k-$350k a year for a well-paid starter. That's less than a third of the league minimum salary today (league minimums range from $795k to just over $1m depending on how long you've been in the league). Considering that Morris was in the league for just 7 years, it's not like he came out rolling in the doe.
Wowsers: https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/202310579.pdf
In her concurrence Judge Lagoa calls out AUSA Tom Watts Fitzgerald by name for bogus (my term, not hers. lol) prosecution.
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