- Happy anniversary. I love you, honey. - Yeah.
Move. Move. Get out of the way. Get out of the way now.
- What's his problem? - Sir.
- Calm down. - My wife, officer.
- Get your hands off of me. - Here's there, man. He's right there.
- Relax. - Look.
- Somebody's right there, man. - Sir.
I know it's you, man. Just stay the hell away, Wade.
Stay the hell away, you hear me?
- I'll kill you. - Get him off of me!
You hear me? I'll kill you. I'll kill you.
- You hear me? I'll kill you. - Break it up.
- That's your boy, Number 10? - Yeah.
- Wow, he's quick. - Just like dad.
The police said that Brett hurt the guy pretty bad.
- Yeah. - I don't get it. I really don't.
Never known your husband to be violent?
Well, you don't end up playing pro football
without being violent, Mr. Morelli.
But off the field,
Brett is the most gentle guy you've ever met.
That's why I married him.
And you haven't seen him for months?
Not since he moved out.
How does that happen?
One minute, you're playing professional football
and the next minute, you're sleeping in the back of a car.
Yeah, well, after Brett retired from the game, he just broke.
He couldn't hold a job. He started drinking.
He started saying that I deserved better.
That I should leave him and find somebody new.
I tried helping him, you know, get him to stop drinking, but...
I wouldn't leave him. I couldn't.
And so he did.
- He just pulled himself away. - Uh-huh.
You know, he gave up on himself, Mr. Morelli. I never gave up on him.
I would like your help. Please.
- Morelli-Kaczmarek. - Hey, darling, this is Teddy K.
Mr. K. Hey, heh.
You're gonna argue the motion to Bronson
- and then I'm gonna file on Owens. - Okay.
- Pete, it's your dad. - Oh, no, no.
Uh, tell him we're in court. Zoey, don't you dare...
- Transferred to your cell. - Zoey.
He's your dad. You lie to him.
Hey, Dad, I can't really talk right now. I'm walking into court.
No, no, no. I am. I'm walking right now.
Why do I always say I'm in court? Because I am always in court.
Why do you think?
Yeah, well, I learned from the master. But are you kidding me?
The weather...? What do you think? It's Vegas.
All right, Dad, I am literally walking into court as we speak
and it is life or death, so I'm really gonna need to call you back.
No, I don't have time to open a window.
Yeah, great, Teddy. It will be swell. Bye.
Open a window?
My dad is driving in from Chicago next week.
He spends his winters in a trailer park east of town.
And he wants you to open a window?
- Yes. - Is it too much to ask for your dad?
Are you kidding? Answering the phone is too much to ask.
- He's your dad. You only get one. - Yeah, but why him?
He's 70 going on 17. I'm the parent. I'm the one who's up all night.
- Worrying that he won't come home? - No, worrying that he will.
He's trouble, Lisa. Big trouble. You know the kind of guy.
Yeah, the kind of guy that drives a red sports car,
wears Panama hats and white leather loafers?
Yeah, that's him exactly.
Like him.
- Kiddo. - Ugh, Dad.
You're supposed to be in court.
- You must be Lisa. - Hi.
- They told me all about you. - Ha, ha.
- I'm Teddy K. - Hi, Teddy.
- They didn't tell you were gorgeous. - Aw, heh.
Dad, please tell me you were speeding.
Ted Kaczmarek? You're under arrest.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on, officer?
Grand theft auto.
You have the right to remain silent.
It was a pleasure meeting you.
You have the right to a lawyer.
If you can't afford one, one will be appointed for you by the court.
He can't afford one.
Bye, Dad. Great seeing you.
We'll talk, huh?
Okay.
Well, Lisa, that's my dad.
It's a new record.
Less than a minute in town, and he's already cuffed.
He wasn't out of his car.
- Come on. - Technically, it's not his car.
Calm down, will you? I'm sure there's a simple explanation for it.
The simple explanation is that he stole a Corvette, Nick.
- All right. - A Miss Roberta Sloan
reported the theft yesterday.
Mr. Kaczmarek claims joint ownership. Says this all is a mistake.
Hey, Pete, good to see you. You'll never guess who I got a bond for.
Ugh, Jimmy, just get him out here.
You know, I'll tell you, this is screwy. I mean, I talked to Teddy yesterday.
You talked to Teddy? About what? What did he want?
He wanted me to get him tee time.
Oh, and he said, "Do you need some Montecristo cigars?"
Aha!
- "Aha"? "Aha," what? - It was a bribe, Nick.
What he does when he needs something.
Pete, Pete, he's my pal. Teddy's my pal. I like the guy.
Sure you like him. Everybody likes him.
He's the kind of guy who buys you Cuban cigars.
But here's the thing, Nick, he can't afford Cuban cigars.
So if he bought you Cuban cigars, he did it with my money,
which technically makes me your pal, not him.
Okay, okay, okay, you win. All right?
- Thank you for the cigars. - You're welcome.
Nicolas?
- Teddy? Look at you. Look at you. - You look terrific, huh?
- You look terrific yourself. Hey, man. - You got skinny, my friend.
Oh, I lost a couple pounds you think, huh?
- Yeah. - Been working on it. Eating carrots.
Come on, you two. Enough with the love fest.
We have important things to do.
- He is angry, isn't he? - Yeah. Yeah.
- Well, don't blame yourself. - But I do.
Sit on him, Lisa. Don't let him out of your sight.
All right. Mr. Kaczmarek, there you go.
Just gonna take you this way, right?
Okay. Okay.
See you, Teddy.
- Pete, dinner? Hey. - Just go.
All right, Jimmy, Brett Riley, we need to talk to him.
Hey, your dad seems like a nice guy.
Just get us the room.
- Talk to Jen? - Yeah.
Is she okay?
She wants you home.
Yeah.
- She's better off without me. - And the boys?
Same.
Yeah, well, they're not convinced of that.
Why did you do it, Brett? Why did you attack John Meers?
I hit John?
They told me that I was in a fight, but they didn't say it was John.
- You didn't know that you hit a guy? - I know I hit a guy.
I didn't know it was John.
Is he all right?
- Is he hurt? - No, he's good now.
He was just released from the hospital.
The hospital?
You also attacked a security guard, yelling something about your wife.
Do you remember that?
I don't know.
I don't know why any of this is happening.
Were you drinking the night of the fight?
I guess. I usually do.
All right, Brett, look,
we won't be able to argue self-defense.
We can barely argue provocation.
The best we're gonna do is go to the DA and try to make a deal.
Hey, I, uh, saw you play once.
Big West Championship.
- I bet the under. - I bet the over.
Eight solo tackles, four breakups, two picks. That was a hell of a game.
- I remember the picks. - Heh.
- You don't forget a night like that. - Yeah.
- Yeah. Those were the days, right? - Hmm.
Those were the days.
How does he do it?
How does he convince all you people he's such a prince?
Pete, you know, you're the only one I know that doesn't enjoy the guy.
- Teddy? - Wait, I'll be right back.
What are you drinking?
Pete, let me talk to you for a second.
What now?
- Well, your dad Nicky.
He, uh, has kind of hired me as his attorney.
- He did, did he? - Yes.
Did you discuss your fee?
I assume you got a retainer from the deadbeat.
I kind of figured you'd talk to him about that.
Yeah, so did he.
We bought the car together.
Roberta, she paid the monthly note, you know, as a gift.
Now, your name isn't on the registration.
Hmm, I suggested that she register the car in her company name
- for tax purposes. - Ha.
Tax purposes?
But you did buy the car together?
- Yes. - Yeah.
- That explains it. - Yeah.
We'll have it cleared up.
Cleared up? It's not gonna get cleared up.
What...? Why would she say he stole it if he didn't steal it?
- Pete. - Pete, Pete, Pete,
- I didn't steal the damn car. - Son, please.
I did not steal anything.
You know, I broke the woman's heart, that's true.
And I'm deeply sorry for that.
But I did not steal her car.
Teddy, do you think this all is just revenge?
Like, she's trying to have you arrested just to pay you back for breaking it off?
I'm afraid it is.
Women.
Some women.
Not all women.
- Cheers, Teddy. Cheers. - Cheers.
- You're a bleeding heart. - I ever tell you that?
Over and over again.
It bears repeating. You're a soft touch.
"Chump" is a little strong, don't you think?
Watch your mouth there, I've got a few choice words for you too.
- Yummy. Will I be offended? - Yes, you will.
I don't know how you get attempted murder with this?
I mean, it was a fistfight.
Football player says he'll kill you, he could kill you.
Oh, he hasn't played ball in years. Come on, he's a broken-down drunk.
Would you let him pound on you?
Listen, I'll drop the attempt murder.
Two years on the battery, two for the cop, okay?
One in County. Let him dry out. Anger management. That's fair.
No. Four years in prison
where he learns what a real beating feels like.
And don't give me "fair," Nick. I used to play football too.
Gate.
Hey, Brett, little coffee?
Yeah, sure. What's your name again?
- I'm Pete. - Yeah. Okay.
Now, I talked to the DA, and they're open to a deal.
You have to plead guilty on felony battery,
and they'll drop attempt murder.
But you gotta do four years.
Brett, if you go to trial on this and lose,
the judge can sentence you to 20 years.
Realistically, first offense, judge could give you eight,
- so four on the plea is great. - It's great.
Brett, I need you to really think about taking the stand.
He's lying.
- What? - What was she doing?
This is him.
- Him? - Ha, ha. Is he? Huh?
- What are you doing about him? - Okay, hey, Brett, it's okay.
No, no, no, she's lying. She's lying.
- Okay. Calm down. - She's lying.
Hey! Hey! Get him off me.
- Get him off! - Do you understand?
- Hey, get off me. - I'll kill you!
- Get off! - I'll get you.
- I swear I'll kill you. - Get off me.
Back off!
Get your hands off of her!
Get him away. Do you understand me? I will kill you.
What was that? Nick, what the hell was that?
- I have no idea. I have no idea. - Are you all right?
Yeah.
I'm sorry for whatever I did.
I'm just a real mess here.
It's okay. I don't think it was personal.
Did I hurt you? I mean, are you all right?
Yeah, I'm fine. I'm tougher than I look.
Are you sure? It's just...
What was that?
- What just happened back there? - I don't know.
I can't remember.
Get ahold of alcohol and do a little drinking?
No.
Look, um,
Pete and I came here to discuss a plea deal with you tonight.
I think we're getting ahead of ourselves.
There's something else going on here.
Look, if you guys wanna cut me loose, I don't blame you.
Maybe I'm beyond helping.
No.
Give us a little time to talk about it, all right?
Look, I'm so sorry.
Hey, listen to this. This is, uh, Neurological Journal.
"Threats of violence increase from 15 percent
one year after sustaining a brain injury to 54 percent five years after.
Thirty-one percent of patients had serious legal problems
and 20 percent of their relatives
had been assaulted by them at least once."
- That's awful. - Yeah, well, it gets worse.
"In 50 randomly selected inmates,
84 percent had a history of brain impairment,
75 percent of those were in prison for murder,
attempted murder or battery."
Any athletes in there? Football players? Boxers?
No. Uh, most of them are car wrecks or fights.
A lot of the beatings occurred when the victims were kids.
So, what are we arguing? What's our defense?
Well, the DA's overcharging helps us.
Filing Brett's case as an attempted murder
gives us the right to an affirmative defense.
- We argue insanity? - Can't win insanity.
- But we can win diminished capacity. - No, Nick, the guy's a drunk.
No jury's gonna give diminished capacity to an alcoholic.
Yeah, right. You know, we thought it was alcohol.
But here's the odd thing.
Emergency room blood work the night of the fight,
no trace of alcohol.
Emergency room blood work after he attacked Pete,
- no trace... - Of alcohol.
So diminished capacity due to brain injury.
We try to get the jury to knock the attempted murder down to battery.
But we already have an offer for battery from the DA.
Why not just take it?
Unh, the offer from the DA's four years. That's a long time.
If we knock the charges down,
Judge Chang won't give him more than two, tops.
And if we're lucky under the circumstances,
we could get probation.
Well, you guys seem like you have this all under control.
- Mind if I leave? I'm having a drink. - A drink? Who's the lucky guy?
- Theodore. - Theodore?
- Me and Mr. K. - Teddy?
- Go ahead. Go ahead, Zoey. - No, no, no, no go ahead.
No go ahead. She's going on a date with my dad.
Pete, it's just a drink. God, you have a dirty mind.
Yes, I have a dirty mind. I got it from my dad.
Go, Zoey. Go on. Quick. Quick.
Pete, Pete, calm down. Calm down.
Look, you gotta look at the positive side of this.
Zoey could be your new mom.
Hey, guys, this is kind of odd. Look at this.
- What? - At 2:37 on the tape,
the transcript has Brett yelling "stay the hell away way."
Is that a typo?
Let's listen.
- I'm gonna kill you. - Get off!
Stay the hell away, Wade.
"Stay the hell away way." What is he saying?
Play it again.
- I'm gonna kill you, Wade. - Stay the hell away, Wade.
"Stay the hell away, Wayne?
- Stay the hell away, Ray?" - Wade.
"Stay the hell away, Wade."
Who the hell is Wade?
No, I never met a Wade in my life. I don't know what Brett's talking about.
Well, when he was attacking his sponsor, he was going on and on
about some guy named Wade and you. And you were lying. And...
I have to ask you straight, Jennifer.
Is there or was there another man in your life?
- I need to step away for a minute. - Sure.
There's no other man, Mr. Morelli. There's never been another man.
Mm-hm. Has Brett ever been violent to you or the kids?
No, never.
Is there any history of mental illness in Brett's family?
No, not that I know of. Why?
Football injuries, concussions...
Was he ever on injured reserve?
No, no. Brett thought sitting out
- was a sign of weakness. - Right.
He used to say, "I'll just tape an aspirin to my helmet,"
and go back on the field.
- All the guys were like that. - Yeah. Did he complain at all
about, uh, headaches, blurred vision, memory loss?
Well, Brett's memory isn't what it used to be.
You know, several times,
I'd see him walk into a room and forget why he was there.
I could tell it frustrated him.
Excuse me, Jen?
Okay, thank you. I gotta get back to work.
- Thank you, Jennifer. - Excuse me.
- There. Teddy. - Anita's my, uh, landlord.
Yeah, she owns all this. Far as the eye can see, huh?
Well, my late husband, Herb, saw a future in trailer parks.
Bless his heart, heh.
- Ooh! - Uh...
Teddy? Lisa here has some news for you.
Maybe you want to talk about it alone?
Mm.
What's to tell? It's just a car.
- Roberta. - Afraid so.
- Women. - Heh.
Well, Chicago P.D. faxed us copies of the pink slip and sales agreement
for the Corvette. And your name's not on either, Teddy.
I thought you said you bought the car together?
I was with her when she bought it. That's gotta count for something.
Well, yeah, but since you're not owner on paper,
is there real reason for you to believe you're a partial owner of the car?
Look, before the demise of our, uh, sad relationship,
I, uh, talked Roberta into selling all her cars.
You know, going green?
That's why I volunteered, as a gentleman studied in such things,
to broker said deal.
Vegas seemed the perfect spot to unload that Vette.
Ha, ha, Teddy, you can't sell a bicycle in Vegas these days.
Oh, yeah, I suppose that's right.
Well, the plan does seem a little half-baked, huh?
- Half-baked? - Just a little bit.
- Cheers. - Hmm, oh, it's Pete.
Well, tell him to get his ass over here, it's happy hour.
Yeah, well, tell him I'm actually working for a living.
Nick, I'm at the hospital.
Chang gave us the court order for Brett's scan.
I just spoke with the neurologist.
We need to talk to Brett now.
Okay, okay. I'll be right there.
All right, Brett, here's the thing.
We still have the deal on the table for the four years.
And under the circumstances, it's a good deal.
But Pete and I think that we should go to trial.
- Trial? Why? Mm-hm.
Well, maybe there's an explanation for your violent behavior.
All the damage that was done all those years in football.
Damage? What are you talking about?
You ever see a neurologist when you played ball?
- Why? - Brain damage from football
allows us to argue diminished capacity.
Brett, we could win this at trial.
I mean, it's a tough decision, I know that.
But before we do anything,
we'd like you to go see a neurologist and get a head scan.
And you want me to blame this all on football?
- No. - I'm a drunk.
But maybe your drinking is because of the injury.
- You're self-medicating. - Yeah, with the right medicine,
you might not be a drunk.
You might be able to control your outbursts.
Brett, if that's true, you don't belong in prison. You should be in treatment.
You should be with your family.
- They want you back. - They do.
- No. - No?
It is not my brain.
It's me. I am not gonna blame football.
I've had problems since far back as I can remember. I...
Brett, everybody has anger. Everybody has little violent outbursts.
Rage from time to time. But it's different with you.
- You have blackouts. - No.
Did you have blackouts before?
- Wait a second. - Before football?
You're talking about the game I love.
- I... - It's fed my family. It's fed me.
- I can't do it. I won't do that. - This is not about the game.
- No. I'm sorry. I won't do that. - It's about your brain.
- Brett? - We're done here. Guard? Guard?
No. I won't do it.
Brett. Listen.
What's more important right now?
Your football memories or your family?
- Brett! - Damn it, I'll kill you.
I'll kill you. Stay the hell away, Wade.
- Brett! - I'll kill you. I'll kill you.
Mr. Meers, did you know the defendant before the attack?
Yes, I was his sponsor for his AA counseling.
Is the defendant an alcoholic?
He has struggled with alcohol, yes.
- And you tried to help him, yes? - I tried.
But the defendant attacked you.
Actually, broke your jaw.
- Yes, but he... - Is that right?
Twelve stitches under the right eye, a broken nose.
- Yes. - All because you were trying
to save him from himself.
Objection, Your Honor.
Withdrawn. No more questions, Mr. Meers.
Hi, Mr. Meers. How are you doing?
I've been better.
Would it shock you to find that the medical report
indicates that there was no alcohol in his system at the time of the arrest?
No. Brett was trying to stop drinking.
He called me that night because he was afraid he might slip.
Oh, so you went to meet him to help him stay on the wagon?
- Yes. - If he wasn't drinking,
what do you think caused this attack?
I'd assume a mental illness.
- Object. - Sustained.
Sir, do you think Brett Riley even knew who you were
- when he was beating you? - No, I don't.
Because he called you "Wade," while he was beating you, right?
That's what we heard right here on the video.
Yes, he called me "Wade."
I could see it in his eyes.
He wasn't hitting me.
Thank you.
Sir, I understand it's part of your job description
to make excuses for the least among us.
But the reality is you really have no idea
what was in the defendant's mind when he was beating you
- nearly to death. - Objection, Your Honor.
No more questions, Your Honor. I've heard about enough.
The blue indicates an abnormally low blood flow
in the prefrontal cortex.
That indicates a rather large amount of damage.
Dr. Stewart, what happens to a guy from this?
Individuals with injuries show, among other things,
a tendency towards aggression.
- And why is that? - We don't know.
Research in this area is very new.
But it's become clear in the past 20 years
that prefrontal injury correlates very highly with disinhibition.
Disinhibition?
The inability to constrain impulsive outbursts.
Ah!
- You can't help yourself. - Yes.
Would you say that brain damage stems from his playing football?
- I would, yes. - How exactly?
By using his head as a battering ram, that's how.
Sensor tests have recorded hits to players' helmets at forces
from 50 G's all the way up to 110 G's.
Now, if you crashed your car at 25 miles per hour,
the force of your head smacking the windshield,
would be about 100 G's.
Would it surprise you to find that players sustain these hits
- about a thousand times a year? - No.
So in Brett's career from high school all the way through to the pros,
theoretically, Brett was in 15,000 car accidents.
His head smashed through 15,000 windshields.
Yes.
Wow!
Kind of knocks the sense out of you, doesn't it?
Thank you, doctor.
Oh, I'm sorry, Dr. Stewart, just one last thing. Sorry, everyone.
The aggressive behavior you described as a symptom of Brett's brain injury,
can it be controlled with treatment?
It can be, yes.
Behavioral therapy in conjunction with anticonvulsant medication
has been shown to blunt the attendant violence.
Thank you.
Dr. Stewart, isn't every criminal, on some level, brain-damaged?
If you're talking actual physical damage,
I would say, no, probably not.
I see. So a killer is not damaged.
A rapist is normal.
There might be other factors at work. Chemical imbalances,
genetic predispositions, socialization.
Let me get this right.
So, what you're saying is that those reasons
are cause for punishment, but physical damage is not?
Objection. He's testifying.
Then, please, Your Honor, allow me to rephrase.
So a guy with a bad attitude should go to jail.
And a guy with, what, a low blood flow is free to beat down his own wife?
- Objection. - All right, withdrawn.
Doctor, thank you. I have more than enough, Your Honor.
Dr. Stewart, you may step down.
We'll take a one-hour recess.
Okay, Brett. We'll see you soon.
Man, that guy is good.
You think the medical evidence will be enough?
No, I don't.
Listen, let me ask you a question. Do you think the guy is in control?
You kidding me? I saw otherwise, up close and personal.
Pete, I think sooner or later, this jury has to see it too.
- It's too risky, Nick. - Too risky coming from you?
- I don't know, Nick. - Look, I don't wanna do this.
- Hey, hey, hey. - When you're...
Hi, Brett. Nick.
And Michael. I'm Nick.
Zoey, you wanna take the kids? I may not need you.
- Jen, are you ready? - Yeah.
- I'll be right back. It's gonna be okay. - It's gonna be all right.
Thank you so much for coming down.
Everything is gonna be okay.
Your Honor, the defense would like to call Jennifer Riley to the stand.
Jennifer Riley is not on the list.
My office faxed an amended list this morning, Your Honor.
This morning? You know better than that.
- Your Honor, she is Brett's wife. - Jen?
I mean, how much prep time does the state need?
- Counselor is out of line. - Get her out of here.
Call a listed witness, counselor.
I'd like to call Brett Riley to the stand, please?
Wait, wait, wait. Right now?
Yes, right now.
It'll be all right.
- Listen, I'm terribly sorry. - Okay.
Brett, take the stand, please. It's okay.
- State your name. - Brett Riley.
- Occupation? - I'm not working.
And before your unemployment, what did you do for a living, Brett?
I played football, safety.
- And now you're an alcoholic. - Yes.
You haven't had a drink since they put you in jail, is that correct?
- No. - You feel okay?
- I feel okay. - Good.
- Let's talk about your wife's affair. - Objection. Relevance?
On the video of the incident he referred to his wife, Your Honor.
I'll demonstrate the relevance.
Continue, Mr. Morelli.
Mr. Riley, who's Wade?
- Why? - Well, during the incident
you referenced someone named Wade. Who's Wade?
Was Wade having an affair with your wife?
Yes.
Is it just Wade, Mr. Riley?
- What? - Is there someone else
having an affair with your wife?
- I don't know. - Okay. Let me show you
what has been marked as Defense Exhibit Number 14.
You recognize this?
That's Wade. That's Wade Fisk.
You played football with Wade in high school, is that right?
- He replaced you after an injury, right? - Yeah.
Mr. Riley, is your friend, Wade Fisk, having an affair with your wife, Jen?
- Yes. - Your high-school buddy
- sleeping with your wife? - I said, yeah.
Is anybody else trying to take your wife?
Objection.
Sustained.
You thought Meers was trying to take your wife. Is there somebody else?
Could it be him?
- Your Honor, objection. - Sustained.
You saw him walk her out of the courtroom today.
- Could it be him? - Your Honor, I object.
I'm trying to understand is anybody else slept with Jen?
That's all. Can you tell me that?
- Keep your hands off her. - Get on him.
You understand me? Keep your hands off.
I'll kill you! Get your hands away from my wife.
Leave her alone!
- Calm down. - Get off me!
Get your hands off me! Stay away from her!
Do it now.
It was a stunt. They orchestrated it.
- We resent that. - He badgered his own client.
Your Honor, Brett Riley is not in control
and I just inadvertently proved that.
Inadvertently? You proved he's violent.
But not in control. He's sick, Your Honor, not guilty.
Your Honor, I want the jury admonished.
This isn't proof of anything. A hoax.
- He's talking to ghosts. - Hoax?
I'm going to agree with the state
and instruct the jury to disregard the testimony.
- Thank you. - It's wrong, judge.
And furthermore, Mr. Morelli, Mr. Kaczmarek,
while I can't prove that you planned this,
at best you put your own client out on a limb
that could've done more harm than good.
If either of you even approach conduct like that again,
I'll hold you both in criminal contempt.
And personally submit to the state bar a complaint against your licenses.
- You are not... - Nine a.m. tomorrow.
Closing arguments. I want this trial over with, now.
- Nicolas. - Teddy.
You seen Pete?
You know, I thought maybe he might buy us all dinner.
No, I haven't seen him around.
We got this big close tomorrow. He gets a little antsy.
Oh, yeah, sure. Well, you're working.
- Okay, well, I'll stay out of your way. - No, no, no. Stick around. Come on.
I need a break anyway. You want a drink?
Oh, sure. Wait, wait, let me do it.
- Scotch? - Uh, just a thimble.
I gotta work. You want one of my fine, fine cigars?
Sure.
These are great.
Oh, thank you. Cheers, my friend.
- Mm, yeah. - Here, take it.
Ah, I'll just keep this for later, huh?
You keep that and hell, here, take mine.
Ha, ha. Teddy, you look good, my friend.
- I love that hat. Can I see it? - Sure.
Aha, look at that.
This thing has lived.
Been around a long time, huh?
Yeah, it was my grandfather's.
Man was a king.
- Wore it every day, everywhere. - That's nice.
That ring, let me see that ring.
- My wedding ring? - Yeah, let me see your wedding ring.
Wore that every day, everywhere.
What, are you gonna pawn it?
You know,
we've got to move on, Nick.
It's time.
Well, um...
I can't really do that, Teddy.
I got a kid, you know?
Yeah.
You know, Sammy's gonna be all right.
Look, I read this book.
In this book, it said, just...
Just love them, a lot.
Thanks, Teddy, I'm gonna do that.
So I'll let you get back to your business.
Well, you and Pete, you work really hard.
Yeah.
- I'm proud of my kid. - Yeah.
So you just tell him I'm sorry
I missed him again.
- I'll tell him, Teddy. - Okay.
- Hey, Teddy? - Hmm...
- The ring. - What?
- The ring. - Oh, sure.
I'll kill you. I'll kill you.
Stay the hell away, Wade. I'll kill you.
"I will kill you."
Ladies and gentlemen, remember those words.
Brett Riley was a professional.
A one-in-a-million athlete.
Stronger than a man twice his size and fast.
Famously fast.
Whose job it was to crush his opponents.
Break them, if at all possible.
And bring them down.
That was Brett Riley.
If a man like Brett Riley says, "I'll kill you," it's no idle threat.
If a man like Brett Riley hits you over and over
and over again, you might end up dead.
I think we all can agree that Brett Riley
had the capacity to murder with his own hands.
But did he have the intent?
Mr. Morelli says, "No." Mr. Morelli says
that Brett Riley's capacity to plan ahead was diminished by weak blood flow.
Use your own common sense, ladies and gentlemen.
Thousands of men have retired from football
without ever trying to murder somebody.
What makes Brett Riley so special?
Why should we give him a pass?
Good morning.
This is my son's football helmet.
Sammy. He's 9 years old. He started playing Pee Wee football last year.
Look at these nicks. See that?
That's paint from the other team's helmet.
Makes Dad feel good, you know,
because, you know his son's out there, you know, mixing it up,
being brave and not afraid to play the game. Take a few knocks.
You know, Mr. Ward is right.
Brett Riley is that one-in-a-million kid
who goes from Pee Wee football through high-school ball,
college ball into the pros.
That's a lot of years of football.
That is 20 years of:
Football players. Gladiators.
They're our gladiators.
And we relish the violence, that's why we watch it.
But there is a price that men like Brett Riley pay.
Their brains get smashed inside that skull
over and over, every practice, every game,
every season for 20 years.
Now, I gotta tell you something, I still love the game.
I love football. I was raised on football.
I watch it every Sunday.
But I gotta tell you,
lately, I can't watch a game without wincing
every time these men hit their heads.
Some of those guys are gonna end up just like Brett
who attacks his friend and calls him "Wade."
Attacks his own lawyer, calls him "Wade."
He may as well have been fighting the devil himself.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
Brett had no intention of killing John Meers.
He was fighting his past.
And for that,
he needs medication,
not prison.
Between you and me,
I don't think my boy's gonna play football next season.
Ah, it's awful.
Guy had everything, wife, kids,
- and now maybe prison. - Yep.
Must make you feel kind of silly,
the way you talk to Teddy.
Teddy?
How is this about Teddy?
Pete, if my dad were still around,
if I had one more summer with him,
I would love every minute of it.
I would.
Even if he was robbing banks.
Maybe you should talk to Lisa.
Lisa.
- Teddy. - I can't talk to you about it, Pete.
You can't talk to me about it? He's my father.
He's my client. He has privilege.
Privilege, my ass. I'm paying his bill. I'm your client.
Heh, sorry, Pete.
Okay, well, then let me tell you.
Teddy is claiming that Roberta asked him to sell the car.
- Speculation. - Lisa, I lived with the guy, okay?
And when the TV disappears,
or the good silver, he's only got two stories.
"Your mother wanted me to have it," or "Your mother asked me to sell it."
You know what? He probably convinced her
to sell the car not just so he could have an alibi someday,
but because he actually thought he was trying to help.
But he's not helping.
You're probably right, Pete.
Still your dad.
So, what are you gonna do?
Mr. Foreperson, has the jury reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
Case number 57639, in the matter of Brett Riley,
as to the count number one, attempted murder:
Not guilty.
As to the second and final count, battery with serious bodily injury:
Not guilty.
So he wanted me to wait here for him?
Mm-hm.
Is he mad or?
Well, you know Pete,
- he's just a little frazzled. - Yeah.
Hey, Teddy. Look what I found in the glove compartment,
a box of number two's.
What is this?
Roberta wanted it sold and I bought it,
over book, just so you know. The deal is done.
- Oh, Pete, look... - Ah, forget it.
It was either that or drive you around all winter, that wasn't gonna happen.
Yeah, but, well... Thank you, son.
- I'll remember this. - You better remember.
Because the pink slip is in my name.
So if you ever sell, trade, pawn
or so much as gamble this puppy away,
I will have you in chains.
Well, fair enough.
Boy, you are a chip off the old block, huh?
You are.
What do you say, Dad, wanna take this for a spin?
See what kind of trouble I can keep you out of?
You drive?
Driving? Huh?
Look, kid, I don't suppose
you can spot your old man a C-note for a couple of days?