Evidence is a necessary key component to reach a verdict in legal cases. The two major categories of evidence include physical and testimonial evidence. Physical evidence is considered as a tangible object that is able to be associated with the victim or criminal (Mason et al., 2005). Mason et al. (2005) refers to testimonial evidence as an allegation, either written or spoken, provided by the witness or victim. Compared with testimonial evidence, Mason et al. (2005) regards physical evidence as a more reliable source of information because testimonies are subjective to the witness or victim. Testimony relies on accurate recollection of all the events that transpired (Mason et al., 2005). Subjectivity also originates from biased or imprecise perception causing the facts to become distorted. In many cases an expert witness, having vast knowledge and qualifications on the subject, will form an expert testimony without being an actual eyewitness to the crime (Fed. R. Evid. 702). Testimonial evidence in trials of major league athletes usually consists of a combination of eyewitness accounts and formed testimonies by expert witnesses. Examples can be found in major league sports trials of athletes belonging to the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Hockey League (NHL).
Tony Martin, a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins (NFL), was accused of money laundering as a front for Rickey Brownlee (Nobels, 1999). Two teammates, Dan Marino and Nat Moore, gave their testimonies before a jury. Dan Marino’s testimony was centered on displaying Martin’s good morals and values. Nat Moore’s testimony embodied Martin’s respectable qualities and characteristics, all of...
... middle of paper ...
...02.
Dexter, P. (1987, 05 11). The case against Brian Spencer. Sports Illustrated, 66(19), 68-77. http://sportsillustrated.ca/vault/article/magazine/MAG1065957/index.htm
Eder, Steve. “Rodriguez’s ‘Gummies’: Files Detail Doping, Down to Milligram.” The New York Times, January 14, 2014, Late Edition - Final edition, sec. Sports Desk; SECTA.
Manson, G., & Mauro, J. (2005). Data analyst training - types of evidence. http://www.nfstc.org/pdi/Subject01/pdi_s01_m01_01.htm
Nobels, C. (1999). Marino gives testimony in trial of a teammate. New York Times. http://search.proquest.com.mutex.gmu.edu/docview/110027051?accountid=14541
O'Driscoll, P. (2004, 05 11). Bryant accuser goes to closed court hearing. USA Today. http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.mutex.gmu.edu/ehost/detail?sid=84fccb6d-8aef-44ce-8027e4cafa6383f1@sessionmgr4004&vid=1&hid=4205&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl
McCormick, Charles T. Handbook of the law of evidence. 2nd ed. St. Paul: West Publishing Co., 1972. Print.
This Black Sox Scandal trial was a very interesting trial I had wanted to know about for the longest time. In writing this paper I mainly referred to the site, http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/blacksox/blacksox.html
Riccardi, Michael (1998) “Dennis: Get Rid Of Challenges Without Cause” The Legal Intelligencer, Oct. 14: pg 1.
Harris, George C. "Testimony for Sale: The Law and Ethics of Snitches and Experts." Pepperdine Law Review (2000-2001): 28. Online.
Kevin JohnsonUSA, TODAY. "Sandusky jury hears testimony." USA Today n.d.: MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
People believe that paying college athletes will ruin the tradition and innocence of the game. However, people forget that Olympians get paid, and most of them are amateur athletes. "Gold medallists from the United States receive a minimum of $15,000 for their success (from the U.S. Olympic Committee and the national governing body of the winner's sport), USA Today, Final Ed." These Olympians can also capitalize on endorsement deals and other additional bonuses, most of which are illegal in college athletics. The innocence of the game is already in jeopardy, in a June 24th, 1996 issue of The NCAA News, " Studies indicate that 75 percent of underclassmen have received cash or gifts from an agent." That’s a pretty high number, three out of every four are involved in illegal activities involving agents, and 90...
Flax, Ellan. "Steroids: Few Demanding That High-School Athletes 'Just say no.'" Education Weekly.12 Oct. 1988. pp 1+
Eyewitness testimonies are also valued unique factors they can bring to criminal investigations. Nevertheless, an eyewitness testimony can also raise several factors that threaten its credibility, especially for those who haven’t had prior training in assessing witness reliability. It has been suggested, for instance, that jurors only have their common sense as their guides when their witnesses have strenuous claims (Schechel et al., 2006, p.178).
In conclusion, as shown throughout this paper, evidence is needed to convince jurors to give a verdict of guilt or not guilt. Evidence comes in several forms such as physical evidence, substantial evidence. When evidence is presented, it acceptance in trial depends on relevant to the case to be admissible. “Relevance refers to any material fact or evidence having a tendency to make the existence of a matter at issue more probable than it would be without said fact (probative value)”(Britz, 2008, p. 344).
Walsh, James, and Dan Browning. "Presumed Guilty Until Proved Innocent." Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN). 23 Jul 2000: A1+. SIRS Issues Researcher.
Therefore, the criminal justice system relies on other nonscientific means that are not accepted or clear. Many of forensic methods have implemented in research when looking for evidence, but the methods that are not scientific and have little or anything to do with science. The result of false evidence by other means leads to false testimony by a forensic analyst. Another issue with forensic errors is that it is a challenge to find a defense expert (Giannelli, 2011). Defense experts are required to help the defense attorneys defend and breakdown all of the doubts in the prosecutors scientific findings in criminal cases. Scientific information is integral in a criminal prosecution, and a defense attorney needs to have an expert to assist he/she in discrediting the prosecution (Giannelli,
Steroid is a name given to drugs that are manufactured from testosterone, a reproductive hormone found in men. Some athletes normally use anabolic steroids because these drugs improve one’s capacity to compete and train, yielding high results. Steroids work by reducing exhaustion during training, and also reduce the length of time an athlete needs to recover from exhaustion. In addition, steroids enable the growth of tissues and muscles in an athlete’s body by instructing the body to produce extra proteins. During the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin, the first rumors of athletes using steroids emerged. The problem of athletes using steroids was again reported in 1954 during weight lifting championships. The Soviet athletes recorded a very impressive performance at all levels of weight lifting. Later on, the team’s physician admitted that the Soviet athletes were being injected with testosterone in order to increase their muscle mass and strength after being questioned about how they achieved their success. WHO (World Health Organization) in 1968 was the first party to complain about incidents of athletes using steroids, these sentiments were later backed by IOC (International Olympic Committee). This paper is going to give reasons why professional athletes should not be allowed to use steroids (Yesalis 25).
Fairchild, H. & Cowan, G (1997). Journal of Social Issues. The O.J. Simpson Trial: Challenges to Science and Society.
When this question comes to mind, after a very short time pondering the statement I for one can answer yes. During the Detroit Tigers 2013 season, I acquired my first MLB favorite. Jhonny Peralta was a shortstop, just like me. I looked up to Peralta, mainly because of his skills in the field, rather than in the batter's box. During the season, Peralta also realized his lack of power hitting was an issue. Seeking help, he turned to steroids or “PED” which stands for performance enhancing drugs. My once favorite player was caught, and suspended for 50 games. My 12 year old self was absolutely destroyed. I couldn’t believe my favorite player had cheated, and that angered me. I lost love for the player, along with my passion for the Tigers.
Eitzen, D. Stanley. (1999). "Sport Is Fair, Sport Is Foul." Fir and Foul: Beyond the Myths and Paradoxes of Sport.