The Denver Post's Mike Klis, a regular Kreckman-and-Klatt guest, had suggested that the timing of the report was particular bad given the ongoing trial in the 2007 murder of Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams -- a tragedy that was sparked by a series of nightclub confrontations. (Click here for our extensive Williams coverage to date.) Moreover, Moreno wears Williams's number, having gotten permission to do so from the slain player's mom.
After expressing admiration for Klis, Kreckman and Klatt balked at drawing too close a connection to the two incidents. But whereas Klis's recent piece hinting that Brandon Marshall might want out of Denver because he remains traumatized over the Williams killing was a significant stretch, his conclusions regarding Moreno are far more defensible.
In the Atlanta altercation, Klis notes that Stephen Anderson, 18, claimed to have been knocked out by Moreno only after he'd signed a waiver saying he wouldn't press charges against the back. Oh, and he also admitted to having been drunk at the time -- hence law enforcement's eagerness to drop the whole matter.
But as the Williams case shows, athletes are often targeted in after-hours settings by knuckleheads wanting to prove how tough they are -- and such situations, no matter how silly they seem in retrospect, can escalate quickly. Lucky for Moreno, the person he encountered was apparently too tanked to know heads from tails. But Williams, who had nothing to do with causing problems on the night of his death, wasn't nearly as fortunate.
Bottom line: Ballers need to be extremely careful in public settings, especially when the liquor is flowing. It's not fair to them -- but it's reality.