A Pittsburgh jury found the three defendants accused of stabbing Steelers offensive tackle Mike Adams not guilty Wednesday.
A pair of 26-year-olds, Dquay Means and Michael Paranay, and Jerrell Whitlock, 27, were acquitted on several charges such as attempted homicide, aggravated assault and conspiracy, but Means was convicted of escape and Whitlock was found guilty of flight to avoid apprehension, per KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh.
Throughout the trial, the sides debated the origin of the incident, which occurred on June 1, 2013. Prosecutors contended that Adams was stabbed during an attempted carjacking of his Ford F-150 Raptor truck, yet the defense disputed the story, claiming Adams was inebriated and knocked food out of Paranay's hands.
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert was present in court Tuesday and was released from his subpoena after defense attorneys introduced excerpts from Adams' contract regarding the offensive lineman's income and conduct. Per KDKA-TV, one such introduced provision allowed the team to terminate Adams' contract if "a player has engaged in personal conduct reasonably judged by the Club to adversely affect or reflect on the club."
The 24-year-old Adams, a 2012 second-round draft pick out of Ohio State, made a full recovery from the stabbing and played in 15 games last season, starting 10 contests.
