Prosecutor: Seahawk Tempered

In questions posed to Michael Frier in court, a prosecutor accused the wheelchair-bound former Seahawk of tempering his testimony against teammate Lamar Smith to protect a possible large civil settlement against the City of Kirkland.

“You knew that if Mr. Smith was found guilty in the criminal prosecution, that would limit your ability to collect money damages from … Kirkland,” King County deputy prosecutor Roger Davidheiser said, noting Frier’s civil suit against the city and Smith was filed earlier this month.

He asked Frier, who testified before jurors from his wheelchair, whether he hadn’t been told by his lawyers that the most he could collect from Smith’s “totally inadequate” insurance was $25,000.

“I didn’t see it in writing,” responded Frier, who was injured Dec. 1, 1994, when the car Smith was driving crashed into a median strip and then a tree.