Posts tagged Steve Foley at FanHouse

One of the few benefits to getting shot by an off-duty cop? Assuming you survive, there's a chance to make a little coin via litigation. In the case of Steve Foley, whose NFL career was abruptly ended when he was shot twice (in the knee and the hip) by Coronado police officer Aaron Mansker, it comes in the form of 5.5 million big ones.

San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Foley settled his civil lawsuit against the city and Mansker last week for $5.5 million. The suit stemmed from a Sept. 3, 2006 incident in which Mansker, who suspected Foley was driving drunk, ended up putting two bullets in the former Chargers linebacker.

Of course, no amount of money will give Foley the chance to play in the NFL again, and his lawyer confirms as much (as he collects his fee):

"There's really no way to be happy with any resolution in this case," [Jordan] Cohen said. "It wasn't about money. I think Steve wanted to have certain vindication of having Officer Mansker on the stand and the truth come out about that night. "Significant violation of policy and procedure were made," he said.

According to the trial testimony, Foley has since undergone 12 surgeries, has difficulty walking, and suffers pain from nerve damage resulting from the shooting.

And while this is an unbelievably sad ending to a solid NFL career, there is something to be said for not driving drunk. Now, though, Foley can devote more time to his new hobby: raising pit bulls.

Prior to his most recent legal troubles, Steve Foley was best known for taking three bullets from an off-duty police officer during a bizarre altercation in Sept. 2006.

Yesterday, the Houston Chronicle reported that Foley, out of football since the shooting, was "indicted on a charge of attack by a dog" after his two pit bulls attacked a woman and her puppy. Foley's lawyer called the incident an accident, sorta like that time Joey Porter's dogs inadvertently ate a small horse.

The indictment, a third-degree felony, was unsealed Wednesday. Foley is accused of failing to secure the dogs, which made an unprovoked attack on a neighbor on the afternoon of March 26, according to court documents. The neighbor, Twana Schulz, suffered serious bodily injury when she was bitten on the arms and face, the indictment said.

Foley's dogs have since been "seized and destroyed" (in "shock and awe fashion", no doubt, to send a message to the other would-be doggie offenders). Joking aside, it sounds like harrowing experience; Schulz's puppy was killed in the attack. If Foley is convicted, he could serve up to 10 years in the joint.

Responsible pit bull owners everywhere would like to take this opportunity to thank Foley for his negligence.

Chargers linebacker Steve Foley, who now proudly sports two entry wounds in the back of his leg, and another in his back, has filed suit against the city or Coronado and the off-duty police officer who pulled the trigger. The suit alleges negligence and excessive force.

Any time a guy gets shot three times in the back, I'd think "excessive force" would be pretty easy to prove. I'm not a lawyer, but that seems like a slam dunk to me.

The damages that Foley's seeking are unspecified. His salary for this season was $775,000, and his career is probably over. No one's saying that his career is over, but he's 31 years old, his lawyer says it's "doubtful" that he'll play next year, and it's hard to imagine any team giving a contract to a 33-year-old linebacker who hasn't played a down in two years and just came back from three gunshot wounds.

A lot of perfectly healthy 33-year-old linebackers have trouble getting teams to take a chance on them. The NFL is not friendly to guys over 30. I'm not saying he's done, I don't know that ... but I would personally be very surprised if he's ever on an NFL field again.

So I hope he's got good lawyers, and since I don't know the fact of the case, I'm just rooting for justice. Justice, I have a feeling, however, is on the side of Steve Foley.

From KUSI in San Diego:

A San Diego Charger was shot Sunday morning by an off duty police officer. It happened around 3:30 Sunday morning..when an off duty Coronado police officer started following a man who was driving erratically. Police say the driver is Chargers linebacker Steve Foley.

The officer identified himself several times as a police officer, but Foley would not pull over. Foley then drove to his own neighborhood in Poway where he got out of the car and his girlfriend got behind the wheel. Police say Foley came at the officer who fired a warning shot. The woman then drove the car at the officer. The officer fired into the car, then shot Foley. But police say Foley kept coming, and the off duty officer shot him several more times. Foley was taken to Sharp Hospital for surgery. The woman was taken into custody. No charges have been filed yet. Steve Foley was arrested back in April for battery on a police officer and public drunkenness.

Neighbors describe him as tough on the outside, but nice on the inside. From the few words I have exchanged with him, and from hearing him in interviews, he does seem like a level-headed guy. I don't want to go so far as saying he has a problem with alcohol, but people end up in treatment after repeated incidents like this, especially when they involve the police.

KUSI has the video here. The news reporter doesn't confirm the player's identity, but it is indeed Steve Foley. Apparently he was shot three times, once in the stomach, once in the hand, and once in the leg. Foley is at Sharp Hospital where his injuries are not life threatening, although he lost a lot of blood.

UPDATE: The San Diego Union Tribune has a story up on their website about this incident:

The officer again identified himself, pulled out a gun, and ordered the suspect several times to stop, Brugos said.

"However he continued to walk toward the officer, making the statement, 'That's a bb gun'," Brugos said.

UPDATE # 2: Here's the AP story.

STATEMENT FROM THE SAN DIEGO CHARGERS ON LINEBACKER STEVE FOLEY:

"We have confirmed that linebacker Steve Foley was shot early this morning. We'll try to provide more information as it becomes available. Right now all of our thoughts are with Steve."