Despite Troubled Past, North County Athlete Seeks a Fresh Start

When Betty Downey looks at her grandson, Patrick Downey III, the 69-year-old Linthicum resident sees "a very nice young man" who "folds his cloths perfectly" and "has never, ever talked back to us or disrespected my husband or I in the three years that he's lived in our house."

But others consider the 18-year-old senior and three-sport athlete to be a robber, a thief, a marijuana user and a criminal. that Downey was in a moving car in September when its passengers knowingly dragged a 16-year-old drug dealer alongside it for a stretch.

Once honored for having one of the top four grade-point averages of any Maryland wrestler in his weight class, Downey was tabbed as one of two people who contributed to the broken jaw and knocked out teeth of a Towson University student in November 2009, and part of a duo who successfully beat up two Navy football players during a June 2010 brawl outside of a nightclub in Baltimore City.

After being prohibited by Anne Arundel County officials from participating in extracurricular activities in the fall, the two-time state wrestling champion and his father, Patrick Downey Jr., moved to Orlando, FL, where he attended five-time state titlist Oviedo High in the hopes of continuing that sport there.

But that state's high school athletic association ruled against Downey's athletic participation due, in part, to the Maryland criminal charges—this despite four separate appeals.

"On a Friday, the day before the Seminole Athletic Conference championships [in Florida], we paid $550 and got an injunction, so we figured we had won the cases and we're thinking that we're going to wrestle in the SAC championships the next day," said Patrick Downey Jr., whose son also is a former North County quarterback.

"Then I find out at around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday that three appellate court judges and three attorneys had deliberated for three-and-a-half hours on Friday night to stay our injunction," said Patrick Downey Jr. "Our attorney told us that the only time in his life that he can remember that happening after hours like that was to stay an execution."

Saturday, however, Patrick Downey III will not only return to athletic competition, but he will do so as a member of North County's boys lacrosse team as the Knights play host to a tournament featuring Catonsville of Baltimore County and Annapolis Area Christian School of Annapolis.

"I'm a faceoff midfielder, so I get to play a little offense and a little defense and get to do a little bit of everything. I get to hit. I just like being able to play sports for school again. I get to get out there and have fun representing North County," said Patrick Downey III, adding that he's doing well in school and getting all A's so far.

"Being back in school is a great feeling. I have tons of friends at North County who've told me to keep my head up and helped me the whole way," said Patrick Downey III.

Patrick Downey III was home-schooled from mid-October until enrolling at Oviedo in late December and was home-schooled again when he left Oviedo Feb. 11 before re-enrolling at North County March 29.

"It's great seeing the teachers who really like me, and then, you've got the few that don't and that you can tell aren't really happy that I am back," he said.

Patrick Downey III was allowed to return to the Glen Burnie high school—the fourth that he has attended including a freshman year at Baltimore's Mount Saint Joseph—after prosecutors dropped criminal charges against him.

The move to re-admit Patrick Downey III was made by Anne Arundel County public school administrators after the Maryland state's attorney elected not to pursue a case of second-degree assault, robbery and theft in relation to the September event.

During that incident, Patrick Downey III and two friends were accused by a fourth North County student of not paying for a small bag of marijuana and then driving away while the seller tried to get back into the vehicle.

Although inconsistencies in the victim's statements led to the case being dropped, the incident, nevertheless, abruptly ended Patrick Downey III's football season, relegating him to home-schooling and denying Downey his final year of high school wrestling.

Considered among the nation's premiere high school wrestlers, Patrick Downey III, however, was victorious at last month's Senior National High Schools tournament at 189 pounds over the course of five bouts.

Patrick Downey III had already gone 35-0 and 34-0 as a sophomore and junior at Loch Raven High School and North County, capturing Class 2A-1A and Class 4A-3A wrestling championships at 160- and 171-pounds, respectively.

"My main lesson is that you've got to know that you're living your life for bigger things. You're a public example. It's definitely not always fair, but that's what you've got to deal with," said Patrick Downey III, who said he still is being recruited by major college programs.

"Thinking about it, it was a dumb reason to be in that situation," said Patrick Downey III. "It was so pointless that I had to go through all of that. I was mad at myself. That mistake will never happen again."

Two separate charges still are pending for a scheduled May 5 trial in Baltimore against Downey, who faces first-degree assault for the November 2009 fight in a parking lot at M&T Bank Stadium and one in June 2010 at an 18-and-over club on Guilford Ave.

Patrick Downey Jr. said he has been assured by Baltimore City attorney Warren Brown that the two remaining charges will be dismissed. However, his son's three arrests have been costly for the grandparents, relatives and friends.

"My father's brother, Mickey, put up his house as a bond for $100,000 to bail out Pat for the fight at the Turkey Bowl [in 2009]. The bail for the fight with the midshipmen [in 2010] was $50,000 and my friend Rich Mitchell put up his house," said Patrick Downey Jr.

"The bail in the third incident and the one which led to him being placed into home-school status was originally set at $500,000," said Patrick Downey Jr. "But that was subsequently lowered to $50,000 at the bail review, and my same friend again put up his house. For the case in Anne Arundel County, my parents paid for his representation, which has been their contribution towards the legal fees."

Patrick Downey III had been allowed to play sports despite his arrests until September, when new principal Bill Heiser, arrived at the school. Heiser requested "a community alternative placement" for Downey.

But lacrosse coach, Walt Blahut, a next-door neighbor to Betty Downey and her husband, Patrick Downey Sr., since 1980, spoke to Heiser on behalf of their grandson.

"I went to our principal, Dr. William Heiser, and said, 'You know, I know that he's got a troubled past, but the thing is, coming to play for me in lacrosse, I'm probably the best person that you could have as a principal at our school to have him play for because of my relationship with him,'" Blahut said.

"I'm positive that Patrick knows me as a respected elder person that can at least give him some good advice and give him not only an opportunity, but to kick him in the rear end when I need to. That's what I was telling the principal," Blahut said. "I believe that Patrick III has a good head on his shoulders, but that his one issue has been exercising self-restraint. So he's got to learn to walk away from things that are in front of him."

Blahut said he had a similar conversation during a one-on-one talk with Patrick Downey III.

"I've talked to him at length about our team rules and what I expect out of him. I told him that he had to recognize this as a great opportunity for him to get back into school, to finish out his senior year in good standing, and to move on with his life," said Blahut.

"This weekend is going to be his first opportunity to actually play, and we're looking forward to some help from him, athletically. We're going to use him all over because he's so athletic. He's a competitor who can really help our squad," said Blahut. "I know that he just wants to participate in athletics and have a great senior year. I really believe that he's going to make the most of his opportunity."

Betty Downey is among those that believe her grandson will do just that.

"I want respect. And that's what he gives us. I know that he would never disrespect us, because if he did, my husband would probably knock him on his butt," said Betty Downey.

"But he doesn't. He really doesn't," said Betty Downey. "I'd take every cent that I have and spend it on this boy here, because I know that he's going somewhere. And he's a good kid, he really is."

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