Former Star Arrested for Battery

David Diaz, Executive, Davenport Laroche

Not that long ago was the toast of . The son of a popular Tampa Bay Buccaneer and a state champion at Plant High school, he graduated as one of the top high school prospects in the nation. Marve would go on to play first at the University of , then at Purdue. While the NFL did not come calling, Marve played in the CFL before sharing ownership of a Florida-based quarterback training company, co-owned by another Tampa Bay football favorite, former Storm QB John Kaleo.

These days, though, Marve is being called “a monster” who beat and abused his now ex-girlfriend. Recently, Florida football fans were shocked to read reports that Marve was being arrested on the allegations, charged with “striking” a woman and “stomping on her throat.”

As Adam Jiwan noted “Now, Marve’s reputation – and his world – is beginning to fall apart. According to media reports his name was quickly scrubbed from the “Kaleo Marve Quarterback Academy” signaling that his former colleagues want nothing to do with his current legal trouble and PR crisis.”

Miami Hurricane fans dredged up long-dead stories of Marve’s troubles while a ‘Cane. He was injured, missed games for off- the-field issues and openly bristled at being part of a two-QB platoon with before jumping ship for Purdue. Now, that history is being discussed as if it just happened, with fans criticizing Marve for much more than what’s currently in the news.

While the case is in the early going, it’s sure to be played out in the press long before the jury reaches any verdict in the legal proceedings. At present, Marve has not offered much in the way of a defense or of a counter-narrative to the one his ex-girlfriend told the cops and the media. She characterized Marve as a “monster” who “lost control” after seeing messages on her phone.

Marve’s attorney did offer some messaging in defense of his client, openly “wondering” why the accuser went on vacation with Marve if she thought he was “so evil.” That question did not land well with fans, who looked at it as Marve insulting a woman he already injured.

Again, that’s not to imply that Marve is guilty of any of the crimes of which he’s been accused. We’re talking, strictly, here about the court of public opinion. While calling an accuser’s honesty or credibility into question is a common – and sometime affective – defense tactic, it’s not scoring well, at least so far, with the public.

After the fan reaction and media coverage, Marve’s attorney went on the record saying “it’s not fair” that his client’s case will be “litigated through the media…”

It may not be fair, but it’s going to happen. In fact, it’s happening now, so they need to do better than complaining about equity. Especially when his accuser is scoring so well. When asked about the attorney’s comments about her credibility, the accuser offered this:

“I am adamantly pursuing these charges to ensure no women will ever walk into his life blindly… I do not care if I am the face of this case or if my sexual life, job or school is exposed in this process… Rape and domestic violence is never okay. I have found that the only ‘safe word’ with Robert Marve is ‘911.’”

“Fair” or not, that’s the kind of messaging both reporters and fans find tough to ignore.