The case of Rhode Island NBA skills trainer Rob McClanaghan and accusations against him is an unusual case with still more questions than answers. Without getting bogged down into all the details, it is worth discussing and seems Rob Mac is owed some explanation from the Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden. The public learned of his arrest on Saturday night November 19, 2022 with a Boston Police Facebook post that was designed to grab the attention of the media.
Since this post, we have learned Rob Mac was arrested in East Greenwich Friday afternoon November 18, while he was with one of his children at a basketball practice. There is no indication law-enforcement contacted Rob Mac prior to that Friday afternoon or give him the chance to meet with police to hear his side of the story. It is common for police to contact individuals accused of a crime to come in for questioning in the presence of an attorney at an arranged time. There has been no explanation why someone with no criminal record was not afforded that opportunity. The Facebook post was curious as we learned of the “Boston Police Sexual Assault unit working with the Suffolk DA office,” which seems much more than a typical arrest. The arrest turned into a Public Service Announcement on the dangers of drinking spiking in Boston, even though there remains no evidence Rob Mac had any in his drugs residence and the woman in question had no trace of drugs in her system. It should also be noted the Boston Police wrote ” This incident occurred in Downtown Boston,” as opposed to the incident “allegedly” occurred in Downtown Boston.
The DA began a narrative that a crime was committed, and they had strong evidence and resources to see it to the proper conclusion. Kevin Hayden described the evidence as “substantial.”
Where is the video? Is it conclusive? This is less about the woman making the allegations and more about the way prosecutors seem to create a narrative. Was that even her in the photo? Was that really Rob Mac in the photo? Is it possible it is neither? She was able to walk to the elevator in heels. Was she really drugged? There has been no evidence shared with the media that confirm those claims.
It seemed premature to start “applauding” everyone when nothing had been proven yet. The woman was described as “courageous.” If Hayden was so confident in the video evidence and physical evidence, what happened? Hayden also stated the “crimes he committed” even though it had not been proven any crime had been committed.
It is interesting that District Attorney Kevin Hayden said he was “surprised it was the first case of its kind in Suffolk County.” It seems plausible there has been extra pressure to do something about widespread reports of spiking drinks in and around the Boston area, which some have described as an epidemic. Bar owners in Boston have stories of police consistently arriving and wanting to check video tapes inside the bar or club of possible drink spiking. Perhaps Hayden felt he had a case he could make a loud statement with.
After announcing the case would not go forward, Kevin Hayden talks about “respect for the parties involved” and “no further comment.” Why start now? Hayden certainly didn’t seem to have respect for one of the parties back in November. They are dropping the case after ‘reviewing the evidence.’ Isn’t that something normally done before you drag someone into court and hold a press conference applauding your team? Hayden also mentions “appropriate action.” Was it appropriate to not ask Rob Mac to come in for questioning? Was it appropriate to present Rob Mac as the poster boy of drink spiking? Was it appropriate to tell the press the type of evidence you had, and it was “substantial?” Now Hayden does not want to comment? District Attorney Kevin Hayden was holding court and taking bows back in November, but now zip.
Kevin Hayden tries to save face with nolle prosequi which means they reserve the right to bring charges again and it does not translate to not guilty for Rob Mac, but instead they no longer feel they can prove their case. What is the public left to think in this case? Would they have charged Rob Mac if they had questioned him first? Why go so public on a case they admit they could no longer prove? Why did Boston police make that Facebook post? There was no other way to interpret the language of the Boston Police and District Attorney Kevin Hayden other than they had a slam-dunk case and Rob Mac was so guilty that they did not even need to question him. To be clear, this is not about whatever happened between two adults who met on a dating app. This is about a powerful Police Department, (“we are the guys who got the marathon bombers”) and a District Attorney anxious to applaud his staff to the press. Boston Police claim they had a credible individual who made serious allegations, wanted to press charges and was willing to testify. Tufts medical center provided more strength to the allegations and the police report was uncomfortable to read. Kevin Hayden was comfortable speaking with the media at the beginning of the case and has an obligation to answer questions now.
