Now that the dust has settled on Cedric Wilson's assault of the mother of his child, arrest and subsequent release reports are starting to surface that suggest that the story was exaggerated by witnesses and the media. At least that's the story that Wilson's girlfriend, Lindsay Paulat, is telling:
I did think it was interesting that the restaurant staff called police instead of the actual victim and I wonder if we'd have ever heard about it if this hadn't have happened in a public place. She was however holding ice on her face to "contain the swelling" when police arrived, so apparently Ced is awful strong. When you think about it though, this kind of story shouldn't be all that surprising. She has nothing to gain by prosecuting Wilson and would certainly stand to lose quite a bit of money from child support if he were to sit out the season. I'd be even less surprised if we hear soon that she won't be pressing charges. It should also be at least considered that Wilson threatened her to keep quiet in some way after the fact.
The Rooney's are also attempting to explain the difference between Wilson and Harrison's situations. According to the Rooney's, Harrison contacted them immediately after his arrest and took responsibility for his actions while Cedric offered a sweeping apology without contacting the franchise directly. Make of that what you will, but for a first-time offender that went out of his way to express his concerns about his future with the team and his public perception, it's at least understandable why the Rooneys differentiated between the two incidents the way they did, regardless of how things were handled with the media.
Regardless of what Ms. Paulat is saying, Wilson was way out of line, just as James Harrison was. Repeat incidents, salary cap issues, and a history of running his mouth about his role on the team are what got Cedric the boot, not whether or not he punched or merely pushed this woman. That said, it would be nice for his sake if she is telling the truth. Although he has to go, I don't think any of us are interested in seeing him blackballed from the league alltogether.