We were treated to an East Coast-style slap-down this week in the case of Dana Stubblefield, the former 49ers player accused of raping a woman who authorities say was developmentally disabled.
In most big local cases, lawyers attempt to close the doors of publicity with the vigilance of nightclub bouncers, extolling the sanctity of trial.
Not here, not now, not this defendant. The Stubblefield charge was the equivalent of a World Wrestling Federation bout where one combatant grabs another and shaves his head as the audience screams for more.
At the core of all this is an accusation that counts hugely in the realm of public opinion -- though it is only an added charge in court.