By Jack Ryan
Do Philly taxpayers care that their district attorney, Seth Williams, who evidently never met a perq of power he could ever turn down, will be roaming the sidelines at Eagles games this fall as a gift from the Birds?
Williams, whose office made the decisions not to press charges against former Eagles LeSean McCoy and current Eagle Nelson Agholor, thinks it’s cool!
Last week Williams filed amended financial disclosure forms for the years 2010-2015, according to Philly.com, and included in the report was the revelation that Williams has received two free, all-access sideline passes from the Eagles since 2011. Also listed as gifts in the filings were “sports tickets,” according to the report, with no further description.
An Eagles rep told Philly.com the sideline passes also are offered to the mayor, fire commissioner and police commissioner. The person also said Williams’ second pass is reserved for a member of his staff.
“It’s a total inability to understand the nature of conflicts of interest by a public official who has important responsibilities concerning conflicts of interest,” said former chair of the city Ethics Board Gregory Williams.
John McNesby, head of Philly’s police union, was critical of Williams’ investigation into the McCoy incident. He provided a few choice words after the DA office announced in April it had not found sufficient evidence to charge McCoy, who now plays for the Bills. Tensions between the DA’s office and Philly PD reportedly had grown during the McCoy investigation.
As for Agholor, police reportedly wrapped up their investigation June 24 and handed it over to the DA’s office after finding insufficient evidence to charge the wide receiver.
Williams was elected as DA in 2009, according to the report, and he said he released the reports in an effort to address “the need for greater transparency.”
McCoy, who spent the first six seasons of his NFL career with the Eagles, was traded to the Bills in March of 2015, well before the alleged incident took place.
