S/LB Tyler Moeller (official thread)

[CHU]

Has Tyler or his family thought about civil litigation seeking damages/medical costs against either Mr. Decker or the restaurant/bar (already realizing chasing a civil case against Mr. Decker would be pointless)?

I have no doubt attorneys have contact him.

 

[Buckskin86]

Attorneys debate if blow that benched OSU player was defensive or sucker punch
By Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, August 20, 2009

TREASURE ISLAND ? Both sides agree that it started with a question: Did Tyler Moeller really play football for the Ohio State Buckeyes?

It ended with a sucker punch, authorities said, that left the 21-year-old junior linebacker with a serious head injury that ended his football season before it began.

But the suspect who was arrested, Ralph Decker Jr., said he was defending himself and blames Moeller for the July 26 confrontation at Gator's Cafe & Saloon.

And Decker's lawyer said Wednesday that his client is receiving death threats from irate Buckeye fans after college football blogs put his personal information online.

The threats have been made to his cell phone, his e-mail, even to the title company where Decker works, they said.

"They've been calling his supervisors ? and threatening him all day long," said St. Petersburg defense attorney Sean McQuaid.

Attorneys debate if blow that benched OSU player was defensive or sucker punch - St. Petersburg Times

 

[CleveBucks]

Sounds like all the witnesses back up the sucker punch story. Notice they didn't mention a witness backing up Ralphie's side? Hello felony...

 

[CHU]

Sounds like all the witnesses back up the sucker punch story. Notice they didn't mention a witness backing up Ralphie's side? Hello felony...

If Mr. Decker was defending himself, Moeller would've been charged as well (after authorities interviewed witnesses).

Since Decker has a criminal past, I'm assuming this is his normal defense attorney. Even if he gets off of criminal charges, I'd hit him with a civil suit. He's in trouble regardless (bankruptcy or jail).

And since he has a criminal past, I don't believe a damn word Decker says. You don't do an internet search for someone if you're not looking for trouble.

 

[Buckskin86]

Defendant's attorney contends OSU's Moeller threatened client in bar
Florida man punched Buckeye linebacker in self-defense, attorney says
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
By Ken Gordon and Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

While several witnesses say Ohio State linebacker Tyler Moeller was punched without provocation in a Florida bar, the attorney for the man accused of throwing the punch said Moeller was threatening his client and that Ralph G. Decker acted in self-defense.

Decker, who goes by his middle name, Gray, was arrested and is accused of misdemeanor battery in the July 26 incident at Gator's Cafe & Saloon in Treasure Island, Fla.

Prosecutors say that Decker, 27, of Kenneth City, Fla., probably will be charged with felony battery once they gather medical documentation of Moeller's injuries. If convicted, Decker could face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Moeller's head hit the floor, knocking him unconscious, and he underwent surgery Aug. 8 to relieve pressure from fluid building up in the brain. He will miss the football season.

Interviews with four witnesses provided the following account of what happened:

Moeller was in Florida for his grandparents' 50th anniversary. Tyler and his sister, Ashley, and their uncle, Craig Dunn, went to Gator's Cafe "because it was recommended to us. It's a big chain and a very popular place," Dunn said.

Gator's Web site promotes that it plays host to University of Florida tailgate parties and states, "If you're not a Gator, you're Gator bait!" Dunn said none of the three wore Ohio State clothing.

"We were being very discreet," he said.

The Columbus Dispatch : Defendant's attorney contends OSU's Moeller threatened client in bar

 

[Buckskin86]

This man knows a sucker punch
By TIM MAY

The greatest thing about being a sportswriter is the privilege of getting to meet someone new -- either face to face or by phone -- almost every day of your life. So it was again earlier this week when Ken Gordon and I were gathering eyewitness accounts of the vacation ?sucker punch? that knocked out Ohio State linebacker Tyler Moeller not only for the season but put his football career in jeopardy.

One of the names I drew was Terry Craig, so we met by phone. He?s 48, a factory worker from Leisure City, Fla., right next to Homestead.

His connection to the Moeller affair -- he happened to be in Gators Caf? in Treasure Island, Fla., outside St. Petersburg that July 25 night because he was in town for OSHA training. As fate would have it, he was standing just a few feet from Moeller when Ralph Gray Decker lowered the boom.

?I was with a buddy of mine and we were at the bar, and a girl came up and she had been drinking, and we were talking to her,? Craig recalled.
He didn?t know until being told by me that the girl was Moeller?s sister Ashley.
?Then this fellow in a green tee shirt (Decker) comes up and gets between me and the girl, so I didn?t think nothing of it,? Craig said. ?I?d just gotten there, so I just got my drink and was talking to my friend.

?Then the girl starts talking to another guy (Moeller). The guy in the green shirt, he left, then I guess he came back, and they started talking ? the two guys. It seemed like they were talking just like me and you are talking, they stepped away from the bar, and the guy in the green shirt, just out of nowhere ? I call it a sucker punch, because just out of nowhere he pops him right in the bell and levels him.?

This man knows a sucker punch (Blogging the Buckeyes)

 

[CHU]

Decker was charged with a felony. I wonder if he'll make bail.

Decker charged with felony (Blogging the Buckeyes)

Prosecutors last week said they were pursuing a felony charge based on the seriousness of Moeller's injuries. And this morning, at 12:12 to be exact, Decker was arrested by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department.

He is currently in jail, held on a $20,000 bond. If convicted, the maximum sentence is five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

 

[GomerBucks]

Actually, Tyler is one of the best hitters in the Hoot & Hollar Drill... Anyone who has seen Coach Taver hang on to him before he goes flying into the mess like a missle knows that Tyler brings the wood in the Hoot & Hollar.

This joker who assaulted Tyler should be thankful that he will never face Tyler in any drill. Tyler is a good natured, responsible young man and I cant wait to see him back on the field!

 

[SanClementeBuck]

+10

 

[k2onprimetime]

i guarantee you that if moller would have knew this piece of crab was about to swing moller would have whooped his a$$!!

 

[OregonBuckeye]

i guarantee you that if moller would have knew this piece of crab was about to swing moller would have whooped his a$$!!

"Craaab people! Craaab people!"

 

[Mac]

I hope this jackass gets what he deserves...I'm not saying that just because he's a Buckeye but if that happened to anyone, they should face severe consequences.

 

[Buckskin86]

Ohio State football: Accused attacker faces felony charge
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
By Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The family of injured Ohio State linebacker Tyler Moeller was pleased to hear that his accused assailant now faces a felony charge.

Ralph Gray Decker was arrested yesterday by the Pinellas County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office at 12:12 a.m. and charged with felony battery. Bond originally was set at $20,000, but at 7:35 p.m., he was released on his own recognizance.

He originally was accused of misdemeanor battery after the July 26 incident in Treasure Island, Fla., but prosecutors last week said they were pursuing a felony charge based on the seriousness of Moeller's injuries.

Moeller hit his head and spent several days in a Florida hospital. On Aug. 8 in Columbus, he had surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. He will miss this season.

In an e-mail, Amy Moeller, Tyler's mother, said, "We are very appreciative of the work that the Florida State Attorney's Office has put into this case and are confident to leave it in their hands."

BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : Ohio State football: Accused attacker faces felony charge

Man accused of punching Ohio State linebacker now faces felony charge
By Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Tuesday, August 25, 2009

A late-night sucker punch at a Treasure Island bar last month cost Ohio State linebacker Tyler Moeller his entire 2009 football season, authorities said.

Now it might also cost the man accused of throwing that punch at least three years in prison.

Ralph Decker Jr. is now charged with felony battery for the July 26 attack that authorities said caused Moeller's head to hit the bar floor, briefly knocking him out. The warrant was signed by a judge Friday, and Decker turned himself in at the Pinellas County jail at 12:26 a.m. Monday.

Moeller and Decker encountered each other that night at Gator's Cafe & Saloon at 12754 Kingfish Drive. Both sides agreed the dispute started over whether Moeller really played for Ohio State.

Both also blame the other for the fisticuffs that ensued. Both said the other was drinking heavily. The state said Decker caught Moeller by surprise. But Decker, 27, told his attorney he was defending himself.

Moeller, 21, was hospitalized in St. Petersburg and then later in Ohio, where he underwent surgery to relieve fluid building up in his brain. Decker, who lives in Kenneth City and works for a title company, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of battery the night of the attack and released from jail.

But after taking a closer look at the case, prosecutors at the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office decided to prosecute a more serious felony charge because of the injuries Moeller suffered, which sidelined him this season and cost him a chance to start for the Buckeyes.

The difference between misdemeanor and felony battery is that the latter must lead to "great bodily harm, permanent disability or permanent disfigurement," said Assistant State Attorney Richard Ripplinger.

"(Moeller) had seizures, he had to have an operation to have three holes drilled in his head," the prosecutor said. "That qualifies as great bodily harm in most people's book."

Man accused of punching Ohio State linebacker now faces felony charge - St. Petersburg Times

 

[CHU]

Blogging the Buckeyes

Ralph Gray Decker, the man accused of sucker-punching OSU linebacker Tyler Moeller in a Florida bar July 26, has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for a hearing in Pinellas (Fla). County Court on Sept. 21.

Decker is facing a felony battery charge. If he is convicted, he could face five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The charge was upgraded from a misdemeanor to a felony early last week.

 

[OSUbuckeye09]

GOOD!!!