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Very Shameful
May 9, 2008
Many NFL players seem to be making the most of their offseasons. Not in a good way, though. As of today, since Super Bowl XLII on February 3, there have been 24 current NFL players to be in the headlines for something bad. And that’s just the ones that were newsworthy. There may be more players that have had lesser offenses that just didn’t get in the news.
The wrongdoings range from drugs to drinking to suffocating a 2-year-old. The most popular, though, seems to be hitting girlfriends and wives. Jerome Mathis, James Harrison, Cedrick Wilson, Najeh Davenport, Rocky Bernard, Kalvin Pearson, and Ahmad Brooks have all been charged or are under investigation for some form of violence against a wife, girlfriend, or ex-girlfriend. Throw in Todd Sauerbrun’s altercation with a taxi driver, Chris Henry’s punching of an 18-year-old, Reagan Mauia’s punching a random man at a restaurant, and we’ve got a who’s who of heavyweight fighters in the NFL.
Then there’s the list of DUIs and drug offenses. High-profile players all the way down to third stringers will be getting their share of these for offseasons to come. Chicago Bears RB Cedric Benson has been the most recent casualty of drinking when he failed a sobriety test while operating a motor boat with 15 passengers on it. Then he was hit with pepper spray when the police saw him as a threat.
Guns seem to be a problem, though not as common as drugs and alcohol. Denver Broncos DT Marcus Thomas was arrested after police found cocaine and a handgun in his truck during a traffic stop. Indianapolis Colts star WR Marvin Harrison is under investigation for a shooting that took place outside a bar he owned. Harrison claims he wasn’t involved, but casings found at the scene where a man was shot in the hand have been linked to a gun that Harrison owned.
Commissioner Roger Goodell has to be praised for his attempts to crack down on misbehaved players. It’s a terrible mark for the NFL when their players are acting the way they are. What kind of role model is former Minnesota Vikings DL Darrion Scott when he gets charged with third-degree assault and domestic assault by strangulation after being accused of holding a plastic dry cleaning bag over his 2-year-old son’s head? Guys like this deserve any punishment they’re given.
It’s pretty easy to overlook what guys do in the offseason as long as they produce when the season starts. But some of these guys appear as though they think they’re above the law. And it looks like there's no signs of them slowing down this offseason.
Professional athletes are only human. But it would be nice to think that with all the money they’re getting paid, they’d behave when they’re in season or out. Very shameful.