Russ Brandon Source of Marshawn Lynch's Legal Woes?

Having Marshawn Lynch take a hit for the team on any given Sunday is automatic with the Bills' stout RB. Expecting Marshawn to take a publicity hit for the Buffalo Bills' mishandling of the alleged hit and run is simply misguided.

Speculation has increased over the possibility that three other Buffalo Bills were in the vehicle with Marshawn Lynch at the time of the hit and run: rookie receivers James Hardy and Steve Johnson, and second-year offensive lineman Christian Gaddis.

According to a Fox Sports article, the three players were subpoenaed earlier Thursday, along with a person police referred to as "a high-ranking member of the Bills security staff."

Bills' COO Russ Brandon was served with a subpoena the same evening as the Buffalo Bills released this statement: 

"The Buffalo Bills organization is issuing this statement to respond to media reports that suggest that the Buffalo Bills have not been cooperative with the authorities, which is completely untrue."

Obviously the Buffalo Police Department and the District Attorney have a different view of cooperation as Bills' COO Russ Brandon.

Russ Brandon had taken over the COO position in part as a reward for the increase in ticket sales and Bills fanbase. I would argue that his 11-year tenure had finally harvested success once Ralph Wilson, the Buffalo Bills owner, had hired Marv Levy.

It was Levy who brought back stability, trust, and loyalty, and he based his formula on character. I still remember the snide remarks nationally and locally from the media that felt these two 80-year olds (Wilson and Levy) were over their heads.

Marv Levy cleansed the Bills' locker room and replenished it in two very strong drafts that sent a clear message to the Buffalo Bills' fan-base, "The Bills are Back!"

The Bills' fans have responded in droves, with season tickets sales the highest since 1993.

Filling the shoes of Hall-of-Famer Marv Levy is no easy task, as in this example.

The following year, Levy found himself in disagreement with Norm Pollom, the Bills' national scout and former Director of Player Personnel. Pollom, for whom Marv had great respect, was urging him to take a defensive end.

However, Levy questioned the player's character. As the draft approached, Levy and Pollom engaged in a discussion that lasted five hours. Finally, Pollom turned to Marv and stated, "If you take this guy, Marv, he'll end up in the Pro Bowl!" The ever-quotable Levy responded, "I want a guy who'll end up in the Super Bowl."

The Buffalo Bills' second-round pick WR James Hardy is the missing piece of the red-zone offense that the Bills were looking for, but with a troubled past. Hardy managed to get into trouble soon after the NFL Draft, and the altercation had suggested a weapon was involved. The incident was later resolved, and a portion of the statement that was released:

"I realize what the public perception could be pertaining to this incident; however, that was not the reality of the situation," said Hardy. "This situation that has been blown out of proportion has been very hurtful and frustrating for me and my father. There was a misunderstanding and a misinterpretation of the situation. I would like to first apologize to the fans of Buffalo, and to the Bills organization for any distractions this may have caused."

This statement had raised a few eyebrows within the Bills' fanbase. It was very polished, and it seemed to echo the same remorse that Hardy spoke about during his NFL-combine interviews.

The response was very "slick", and it begs to question if Russ Brandon had any input on the handling of the incident and press release for hardy.

With the Bills organization drafting WR Hardy and his character issues, the new Bills brass had signaled that character is a concern, but not a priority when evaluating talent. The Bills had veered from Marv Levy and the foundation that he had built.

With the possibility of Hardy being in Marshawn's car in the alleged hit and run, Russ Brandon may have felt obligated to protect Hardy, for his own drafting credibility, and for the potential public backlash.

Russ Brandon would have benefited from Lynch and his lawyer stonewalling the police investigation, so that charges would be dropped, preventing any Bills players from being named publicly. Only Marshawn, a Marv Levy draft pick, would take the initial scrutiny from the press and fanbase.

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