Rockmolder
14 years ago
Trouble in Titletown, Part II: a look back 

By Andrew Brandt

Continuing the discussion from yesterday of the case alleged sexual assault by Packers cornerback Brandon Underwood, as the case is being handed over to the District Attorney today; I thought Id take a look back. The Underwood allegations bring back memories of a decade ago when another Packers sixth-round draft choice was found in a compromising position in Wisconsin, this time at a neighbors house at a post-prom party for teenagers.

Chmura

In the pre-dawn hours of early April 9, 2000, one year into my time with the Packers, I received a phone call from general manager Ron Wolf. In the haze of slumber, I heard something about a problem with one of our players in Milwaukee.

Ron is a man of few, yet purposeful words. He said: Meet Parins (our Security Director Jerry Parins), go to Milwaukee, and check out whats going on. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and asked Going on with what? He said a player was being held for sexual assault in Waukesha (a Milwaukee suburb) and told me to get on the road. As he started to hang up the phone, I begged for more information What player? He said Chmura and hung up.

I met Jerry Parins a gem of a guy and we took the two-hour drive not knowing what wed find there. We found Mark in his orange jumpsuit. He was processed and released on $5,000 bail and scheduled to return on May 15. We then drove Chmura from the jail to his home, with Mark ducking down in the back seat while photographers gathered. Mark did not say a word on the ride but I did notice that he had been crying.

Once inside his home, I huddled with Marks friend, marketing agent and advisor, John Drana, to try and figure out the facts. While it was good to have face-to-face communication, I didnt expect Drana to say much on behalf of Mark, and he did not. Similarly, I wanted to say as little as possible at that time on behalf of the organization, as anything I would have said could have been fodder for use later. It was a brief and cordial meeting, but Mark knew of our concern and disappointment with his judgment. Beyond that, conversations were guarded from both sides.

I made sure Mark was retaining counsel, as this would be a long process. He was hiring Gerald Boyle, the well-known Milwaukee lawyer who had defended serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Chmura would later go on to work for Boyle as a paralegal in his firm.

In that situation, there was no handbook on what to do. I wanted to get an understanding of what happened to report back to the team. Ron wanted Mark to know that we were there and concerned, both for he and his family and for the negative light he had brought to the team.

Blink of an eye

What struck me driving back that day was that how, in the blink of an eye, Mark Chmuras career, reputation, image and family life changed, all on a public stage. That is how fast it can happen, which should be a cautionary tale for all players, including Underwood.

Chmura was one of the fan favorite at the Packers at the time. Although known for his boys will be boys fraternizing with buddies Brett Favre and center Frank Winters dubbed the Three Amigos -- he was a one of the top tight ends in the league, a true find for Wolf in the sixth round out of Boston College.

Now there was a sexual assault charge against him, based on what did or didnt happen with a seventeen year-old girl who had worked for he and his wife as a babysitter in a bathroom at a post-prom party at his neighbors house. It was the story in that area for many months.

The incident created a schism between Mark and his one-time best friend Favre, who wanted to put his carousing life in the rear view mirror. It caused Mark to spend more time with his lawyers than anyone else. And it damaged his reputation and image in the conservative Wisconsin community.

Packers decision to move on

Mark would never play for the Packers again. It is hard to say that the reason was entirely for his actions that night, as at the same time, Mark was dealing with a neck issue that would become problematic for continuing his career (I remember the game against the Lions where he injured his C5 and C6 discs and had numbness on the flight home, a true concern). The combination of the negative publicity surrounding Mark and his disc issues was a lethal mixture to his continued employment with the team.

A week after the incident, we selected tight end Bubba Franks in the first round and the die were cast for Mark. Six weeks later, on June 5, 2000, Mark was released after eight seasons with the team.

Not guilty

Chmura was acquitted of charges of sexual assault and child enticement on February 3, 2001. I remember him shaking and crying uncontrollably, releasing all the emotion of ten months of uncertainty. Still, the stain on his image lasted and he was a pariah in Packer circles for some time.

Alas, however, time seems to heal all wounds. In a little over a month, on July 17, Mark will be inducted in the Packer Hall of Fame. Good for him.

Now Brandon Underwood may face a battle off the field. He is certainly not the name nor the resume of Mark Chmura, but the stakes are high in Titletown. Always have been, always will be.

Pack93z
14 years ago
There a many differences in the Chmura case.. first and most importantly that it involved a 17 year old kid.. and he was the "adult" at the youths party.

Second, these two gals willingly went to his room from the club.. chances are that a spelling contest wasn't in the works.

The stain on Chmura had merit past he said she said type of deal.. mostly because the age of the other party.
"The oranges are dry; the apples are mealy; and the papayas... I don't know what's going on with the papayas!"
djcubez
14 years ago
It's interesting how in the Chmura case if the girl had been one year older there wouldn't have been any illegal activity. Questionable activity no doubt, but nothing illegal. I wonder how that would have changed the situation?
Fan Shout
packerfanoutwest (4h) : NFL told Bears that Packers’ blocked field goal was legal
packerfanoutwest (20h) : 49ers are underdogs at Packers, ending streak of 36 straight games as favorites
Zero2Cool (22-Nov) : 49ers might be down their QB, DL, TE and LT?
packerfanoutwest (22-Nov) : Jaire Alexander says he has a torn PCL
Zero2Cool (20-Nov) : Even with the context it's ... what?
Mucky Tundra (20-Nov) : Matt LaFleur without context: “I don’t wanna pat you on the butt and you poop in my hand.”
beast (20-Nov) : We brought in a former Packers OL coach to help evaluate OL as a scout
beast (20-Nov) : Jets have been pretty good at picking DL
Zero2Cool (20-Nov) : He landed good players thanks to high draft slot. He isn't good.
Zero2Cool (20-Nov) : He can shove his knowledge up his ass. He knows nothing.
beast (20-Nov) : More knowledge, just like bring in the Jets head coach
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : What? Why? Huh?
beast (19-Nov) : I wonder if the Packers might to try to bring Douglas in through Milt Hendrickson/Ravens connections
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : The Jets fired Joe Douglas, per sources
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : Jets are a mess......
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : Pretty sure Jets fired their scouting staff and just pluck former Packers.
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : Jets sign Anders Carlson to their 53.
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : When you cycle the weeks, the total over remains for season. But you get your W/L for that selected week. Confusing.
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : the total and percentage are the same as the previous weeks
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : the total and percentage are the same as the previous weeks
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : the totals are accurate..nrvrtmind
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : I don't follow what you are saying. The totals are not the same as last week.
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : ok so then wht are the totals the same as last week?
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : NFL Pick'em is auto updated when NFL Scores tab is clicked
Martha Careful (19-Nov) : The offense was OK. Let's not forget the Bear defense is very very good.
packerfanoutwest (19-Nov) : Who updates the leaderboard on NFLPickem?
beast (19-Nov) : Has the Packers offense been worse since the former Jets coach joined the Packers?
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : Offense gets his ass in gear, this could be good.
Zero2Cool (19-Nov) : Backup QB helped with three wins. Special Teams contributed to three wins.
bboystyle (18-Nov) : Lions played outside thats why. They scored 16 and 17 in the only 2 outside games this year
Zero2Cool (18-Nov) : The rest of the NFL is catching up to Packers ... kicking is an issue throughout league
packerfanoutwest (18-Nov) : Packers DL Kenny Clark: We knew 'we were going to block' Bears' game-winning field goal attempt
Zero2Cool (18-Nov) : Lions seem to be throttling everyone, but only (only) got 24 lol maybe the rain is why
Zero2Cool (18-Nov) : Packers vs Lions game doesn't seem so bad.
beast (18-Nov) : Dennis Green "They are what we thought they were, and we let them off the hook!"
Martha Careful (17-Nov) : comment of the day Z2Cool "Bears better than we want to admit. Packers worse than we think. It's facts."
Mucky Tundra (17-Nov) : my worst case scenario: Bears fix their oline and get a coach like Johnson from the Lions and his scheme
Zero2Cool (17-Nov) : Bears get OL fixed amd we might have a problem
buckeyepackfan (17-Nov) : Pretty sure they already have scouting reports on guys who aren't even starting for their college team. The future is now for me.
buckeyepackfan (17-Nov) : I tend to let Gute and Co. Worry about the future.
beast (17-Nov) : That's great news and Packers need to keep upgrading their OL, DL and DBs this off-season, so missing one guy doesn't kill them
beast (17-Nov) : That's great news and Packers need to keep upgrading their OL, DL and DBs this off-season, so missing one guy doesn't kill them
buckeyepackfan (17-Nov) : Jaire and Evans Williams are both ACTIVE! Good news.
Martha Careful (17-Nov) : The badgers really need to change the whole offensive scheme. No draws no screens plus the quarterback is marginal
Cheesey (17-Nov) : If the Badgers had a decent QB, they would have won. The guy can't hit a wide open receiver
Martha Careful (17-Nov) : chop block
Martha Careful (17-Nov) : there was a very questionable job Block call that upon viewing replay was very borderline
beast (17-Nov) : How so? (I didn't watch)
Zero2Cool (17-Nov) : Badgers got hosed vs Oregon
packerfanoutwest (16-Nov) : damn,he hasn't played since week 2
Please sign in to use Fan Shout
2024 Packers Schedule
Friday, Sep 6 @ 7:15 PM
Eagles
Sunday, Sep 15 @ 12:00 PM
COLTS
Sunday, Sep 22 @ 12:00 PM
Titans
Sunday, Sep 29 @ 12:00 PM
VIKINGS
Sunday, Oct 6 @ 3:25 PM
Rams
Sunday, Oct 13 @ 12:00 PM
CARDINALS
Sunday, Oct 20 @ 12:00 PM
TEXANS
Sunday, Oct 27 @ 12:00 PM
Jaguars
Sunday, Nov 3 @ 3:25 PM
LIONS
Sunday, Nov 17 @ 12:00 PM
Bears
Sunday, Nov 24 @ 3:25 PM
49ERS
Thursday, Nov 28 @ 7:20 PM
DOLPHINS
Thursday, Dec 5 @ 7:15 PM
Lions
Sunday, Dec 15 @ 7:20 PM
Seahawks
Monday, Dec 23 @ 7:15 PM
SAINTS
Sunday, Dec 29 @ 12:00 PM
Vikings
Saturday, Jan 4 @ 11:00 PM
BEARS
Recent Topics
4h / Green Bay Packers Talk / bboystyle

7h / Green Bay Packers Talk / Mucky Tundra

22-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / Martha Careful

21-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / Martha Careful

21-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

21-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

21-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

20-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

20-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / Zero2Cool

20-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / beast

20-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / wpr

19-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / dfosterf

19-Nov / Featured Content / Zero2Cool

19-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / Martha Careful

19-Nov / Green Bay Packers Talk / wpr

Headlines
Copyright © 2006 - 2024 PackersHome.com™. All Rights Reserved.