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There’s an interesting item on SportingNews.com, written by someone whose name you might recognize, regarding the ongoing problem of player misconduct in the NFL. Since a beefed-up Personal Conduct Policy isn’t stopping players from getting arrested on a somewhat regular basis, the league needs to be prepared to impose real penalties on the teams that continue to provide these players an endless supply of second chances.
The only way to get the attention of the teams is to take away draft picks, and the best way to do that is to create a formula that applies equally to each and every team.
The article sets forth the proposed approach, and you can read it right here.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Nobody’s even mentioning Vick here (Michael, that is). Here you have a superstar that a team had hung their championship hopes, ad campaigns, jerseys, and future seat sales onto. I think the Atlanta Falcons are being punished enough, especially for something they probably never conceived. There are too many vices, pitfalls, and situations a person (especially ones with even minor celebrity status) can be lured into, and these players are only human. The players are adults, and should be able to stay out of jail without team intervention. Owners can build a team of role models if they want, but they might miss on maximizing their talent level by passing on second chances that (rare as though it seems) might actually better themselves. It’s a guessing game, so I am not for individual teams being penalized, other than losing the players’ services and any public embarassment the team might be caused.
I’m a Bengals fan. The team’s reputation (especially during an extremely rough patch) took a hit that it’s still recovering from, hence being mentioned as ‘the worst’. Florio’s not Bengal bashing, but it is singling out one team, when it is most certainly a league-wide issue.
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May 9th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
agking13, do you really think the Cowboys and Patriots get treated differently?! When the Patriots brought Moss in, there was incredible debate about whether this was a good thing for anyone or not, and the issue wasn’t, “Is Randy Moss a good player.” No, the criticism was that the Patriots were rewarding a player with troubled history. I remind you that Moss never killed anyone, nor was forced to plead no contest, nor hope that a charge would be expunged from their record. Have you completely missed all the criticism against the Cowboys for the deal they struck to get Pacman, and it was an incredible business decision! Pacman will be great if he ever plays again, but the Cowboys are being skinned alive over it in the media (and rightfully so!). With the sweetheart team of the NFL (the Colts) facing an issue with Marvin Harrison now, the media is certainly doing what they can to expose the issue and I have no doubt they will hear a lot if Harrison sees charges. The problem with the Bengals is an extended pattern of bringing in punks, and then sitting idly by as the continue to be punks. Right now, the Bengals are on point because their activity clearly shows that character is not a factor in their decision process. Perhaps the rest of us can learn that such a model makes no sense either - the distractions in their locker room more than counter balance whatever talent is brought to it!
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May 9th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Tank Johnson, Pacman Jones, Nate Newton, Michael Irvin, Quincy Carter, Mark Stepnowski, etc.
Yeah, the Bengals prove that if you continue to harbor criminals and lose that you are a punch line. If you are “America’s Team” (yak!) then it’s all good.
Grow up, jack-holes, every team in the NFL has a handful of bad guys, so everyone is at risk. My father-in-law once said, “The Rooney’s Steelers wouldn’t put up with the kind of character issues the Bengals have had.” Meanwhile, you have “Dookie” Davenport, Santonio “Ike Turner” Homes, James “got a great lawyer” Harrison, and that long storied mascot, “Steely: McBeam still on the team. Classy. Note: I didn’t even mention Cedrick “4th String, Expendible” Wilson, or Richard “Pimp” Siegler.
Bottom line (yeah, bring it, I know one poster hates “bottom line”), The league is full of Turds, the sport is full of turds. I don’t know the solution, but as long as winning teams like the Cowboys are lauded for their “efforts to reform” and the Raiders and Bengals are punished for taking these guys in the first place that’s just not going to solve dick.
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May 9th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Well, I I I I think that… Resident Studdering Emmitt at PFT.
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May 9th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Mike Florio wrote,”So the only way to get teams to avoid players with a history of legal problems — or, even better, help the player change his unlawful ways — is to strip the team of draft picks.”
Let me get this straight, Pac-Man will all of a sudden become a model citizen in a bar filled with poles and naked beauties because his team might lose a fifth round pick? Chris Henry won’t don his jersey on and wave a gun at a crowd of people because it could cost his Bengals a sixth round pick? I will concede that your system may discourage teams from drafting such players, but there is no way it will “help the player change his unlawful ways.” That’s completely laughable. Do you honestly believe that?
I’m a regular reader of PFT, and a Bengal fan….which is problably the exception, rather than the rule, over here. It’s an informative and an enjoyable site, even though, seemingly not a day goes by when you’re not incessantly beating the character drum with a Bengal schtick. Your criticism of them is warranted, but your solution to the league wide problem is cloudy, at best.
The solution is a simple one, impose stiffer sanctions on the players. Somebody smarter than me can come up the parameters…but it shouldn’t be that hard to figure out.
For example:
1. DUI’s… 1st offense = 1 year suspension…2nd offense = Seek alternative employment.
2. Convictions resulting in the use of a firearm come with a lifetime ban.
3. Assault…Hit your wife??? Beat up your neighbor??? Road Rage??? See ya in 2 years.
The players need to be held accountable for their actions, not the owners. Most of these guys have grown up in a world where they aren’t held accountable for their actions. Why should the NFL perpetuate the madness by shifting responsibility away from the player, yet again? It’s a poorly reasoned solution.
If the NFL is serious about polishing the league’s image, they will come up with a conduct policy that covers every imaginable infraction, and a category for the unimaginable. Each infraction should carry a specific punishment, not an “independent review” by the commisioner. 1 year suspensions and lifetime bans should be the rule, rather than the exception. Players will either shape up, or they will be shipped out. End of story. Problem solved. No more theatrics, no more diversions of blame. You do the crime…you pay with the time.
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May 9th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Florio wrote,”So the only way to get teams to avoid players with a history of legal problems — or, even better, help the player change his unlawful ways — is to strip the team of draft picks.”
Let me get this straight, Pac-Man will all of a sudden become a model citizen in a bar filled with poles and naked beauties because his team might lose a fifth round pick? Chris Henry won’t don his jersey on and wave a gun at a crowd of people because it could cost his Bengals a sixth round pick? I will concede that your system may discourage teams from drafting such players, but there is no way it will “help the player change his unlawful ways.” That’s completely laughable. Do you honestly believe that?
I’m a regular reader of PFT, and a Bengal fan….which is problably the exception, rather than the rule, over there. It’s an informative and an enjoyable site, even though, seemingly, not a day goes by when you’re not incessantly beating the character drum with a Bengal schtick. Your criticism of them is warranted, but your solution to the league wide problem is cloudy, at best.
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May 9th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
another dumbass article from a media member who doesn’t bother with research. Since Goodell arrived in april 2005, 3 teams, the Jaguars (12), Vikings (12), and Dolphins (11) have had more players arrested/cited than the Bengals (10). When has the national media ever reported a jaguar player getting arrested?
The Bengals aren’t without their past issues, but they are far from the only team with issues, and they aren’t even the worst! The Arizona Cardinals are the only team who has not had a player in trouble since Goodell arrived. Every other team has at least 2, and 11 teams have atleast 5.
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May 9th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
To this, uhhh, guy:
“Are you saying that ex-convicts don’t have a right to seek employment?”
No. He’s saying they are welcome to seek employment in Canada or the AFL if they can’t hold themselves to a higher standard in an arena where it is a honor to play, not a right.
“what happens when a player who has had no trouble with the law (i.e. Marvin Harrison) shoots someone in the hand, or worse kills someone, and the team gets docked a first round draft pick?”
No, they can cut him, or lose a first round draft pick.
“Even when employers in the regular private sector hire people, they cannot be sure that that person will not, given certain circumstance, commit a crime.”
You’re absolutely right. But when they read police beat on Monday, and find out their employee spent the weekend in the tank, he isn’t their employee by Tuesday.
“It’s opportunistic, egotistical, and may in action violate the rights of citizens to seek employment.”
They are welcome to seek employment where convicts are welcome. The road near my house needs the trash picked up a little bit. And the CFL is still accepting NFL Rejects.
Before you criticize Florio, you should think it through a bit more. If you owned your own company, would you employ someone who shot another human being? I sure wouldn’t. I don’t care if they are the best in the world at what they do. They are NOT ABOVE THE LAW. You break the law, you get fired. Not rocket science.
If teams don’t want to lose a pick, cut the cancer. Simple as that.
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May 9th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Typical Lawyer. Do lawyers like you adverise your services in the Morgantown, WV area during the late night and when Judge Judy/Jerry Springer are being broadcast like they do here in Baltimore (aka Little Beirut?)
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May 9th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
I think its not only a good idea but a great one. Look if these teams are gonna provide a means to an end. Meaning way too much money to play football and the notoriety that comes with it. Than yeah punish them too. If they cant control Henty from slapping Chucky Cheese and hes already been suspended for other incident and on top of that the team thought they should stick by him? Absolutely they should punish the organization too. Itll bring new meaning to the word investment.
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May 9th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
You’re suggesting that you have a better way to punish than the existing laws of the United States? Cascading punishment? Silly and bureaucratic.
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May 9th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Florio, If you get a DUI should SportingNews be punished?
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May 9th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Freddie and Timm! You two crazy guys! Maybe you should cut back on that reative KY Jelly . . .
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May 9th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Yeah, I don’t know Florio.. Why punish the team MORE, for having a problem player on their team.. Obviously, teams want good players who stay out of trouble, but its inevitable that some do get in trouble. And usually the team punishes the player or releases them. Everyone is one mistake away from getting in trouble and hurting the team. I think the NFL needs to keep the punishment centered on the player who causes the problems.. If that means lifetime bans or something along those lines, fine. You kind of sound like a lawyer on this issue… (no offense)
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May 9th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Isn’t it obvious what the penalty should be? The round that the player was drafted in, if he fights the losing fight against the law, that is the round which that team will lose a pick.
Atlanta, Tennessee would lose first rounders. The Broncos would have lost a 4th rounder for DT Marcus Thomas. Cincinnati would just cause a draft to be 31 picks per round.
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May 9th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Florio,
get off the crusade man. these are adults who make their own decisions with what to do with their time. it shouldnt be a football teams job to police players, it should be, you know, the police’s job to police players.
I love your legal analysis on most topics, you were by far the best read on the Vick case anywhere, but enough with the witch hunt. we get it already. i dont even need to click that link to know what’s in there, its essentially the same soapbox you climb on everytime someone gets arrested.
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May 10th, 2008 at 12:27 am
who cares if players misbehave? honestly? they pay their debt to society just like anybody else.
why do sports fans think they get input in the personnel decisions of another company? because they buy tickets? if you don’t like a product, then you boycott–just like any other product in the world–if the president/owner of coors got a DUI and you were that upset then you would boycott the product (or make it the official beer of the NFL)
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May 10th, 2008 at 1:17 am
I love the website, Florio, but this is a little overzealous. Once again, these are grown men that we are talking about so the team cannot be held accountable for everything they do while they are not at work. Do you want the teams to hire chaperones for every player so that they don’t get in trouble? And what does it matter if a player has a past transgression or doesn’t shouldn’t there be equal treatment when dealing with punishment? Roger Goddell has already taken liberties by taking the law into his own hands, literally, by doling out punishment when the player is not even convicted of anything, but seriously, let the law take care of the law side of things. The players should be responsible for their actions, not the teams, and the players face those consequences when the state hands out judgement. I hate to say it, but if it wasn’t for the media bringing the issues to light, no one would care, and, quite frankly, nobody really does care aside from Roger Goddell. No matter what anyone says, even the corporate sponsors. If one pulls their sponsorship, there will be a hundred other corporations willing to hitch their wagon to the NFL. When the games are on, do you really think people care about what someone did off of the field other than to use it to taunt them? The NFL is still the most popular sport in the USA and it only continues to get more popular. This whole PC crusade that the entire world seems to be on is getting out of hand. These players are the best at what they do, and there have been a lot of professional athletes in the past who have had vices and were still revered. Look at Brett Favre: I’m sure while he was addicted to pain killers some laws were broken. I could go on forever about this, but I’m starting to think that this popularity that you are acquiring is starting to go to your head. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and while I respect yours, I just find it nonsensical and a bit over the top. People are not robots that you can just program to not do bad, and unless you want to imprison players when they are not on the field or designate areas where they are allowed to go or violate their rights, this will never be accomplished and players and owners will never agree to something like this. The skeptic in me thinks that you are just trying to drum up more business for your bretheren, you know, the scum of the earth
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May 10th, 2008 at 2:45 am
The point of this article, and I feel that basically everyone who commented on it missed it, is that a team should be penalized (POSSIBLY, not definitely, with (a) draft pick(s)) if they take in a guy with MULTIPLE arrests/suspensions/citations etc., and he goes at it again. Marvin Harrison, whomever named him in an earlier comment, is a poor example. Harrison does not have a history of breaking NFL rules, and the Colts would not be punished with Florio’s proposal. If, for example, Jared Allen was busted AGAIN for DUI, then the Viqueens would be penalized.
Okay, I agree, a team can’t control a GROWN MAN, but they are hiring him AFTER interviewing him, aren’t they? What business hires/signs someone in the dark? ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE A HISTORY WITH THE LAW?! It makes sense that a team who TAKES A CHANCE on a player with multiple mishaps in the past needs to be weary. And they should know, upon signing him, that he is now a face and member of that organization, and he represents the organization.
Go ahead and rate this comment a 2.35/5 with 45 rating(s), I don’t care.
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May 10th, 2008 at 3:40 am
If the bengals would just wear totally orange jerseys, a lot of there guys will feel more at home.
Call Mike Brown if you’re septic tank is full, he’ll collect your turds for free.
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May 10th, 2008 at 7:01 am
Sounds like a good idea. Keep players in line. I really feel bad for the bengals and cowboys, though.
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May 10th, 2008 at 7:35 am
Look, if Marvin Harrison is gonna stack the Turd Watch count, owners shouldn’t be held accountable for their players actions. Its just too unpredictable. Two years ago, who could’ve guessed Vick would be in prison? What if Rashard Mendenhall killed one of his armed attackers during his hold-up?
Your pln is bogus, Florio, but you need the hits so its all good. Still love the site, but you’re way off base with this one…
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May 10th, 2008 at 8:03 am
Once again, you’ve failed to identify the root cause of the problem.
This is not the team’s responsibility.
It’s the players.
Only the players can choose to act like responsible members of society, and that is where punishment needs to be assessed.
If a player is convicted or pleads guilty or no-contest, he should be immediately suspended for a period of games (depending on severity).
Put accountability on the people who use the bad judgement.
This isn’t that hard, folks.
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May 10th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Maybe added discipline should start at the college level. There has to be a way to rehab these players while they are young and impressionable. Once you are a grown man playing in the NFL, you should be the only one responsible for your actions. Teams should not be penalized for sighing a player with problems or that gets arrested after they are signed. Losing that player is punishment enough. They have already invested their time, their draft pick, and their money into him. That’s enough.
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May 10th, 2008 at 8:36 am
You could argue that the Bengals have already suffered by taking guys with character issues by the way.
If a team is judged on results, then the results of taking these guys have been atrocious. The Bengals were a playoff team in ‘05, possibly missing one or two players from making a serious run towards the Superbowl. The suspensions of Thurman and Henry took away two players that could be classed as difference-makers on that team.
I would make the case that, in fact, teams have taken more notice of the Bengals plight and realised that while it’s ok to take a chance on a kid, you don’t stuff your locker room with them, because it will not work out long term.
Plus remember the real loser here - the player. Sure we moan about how Adam Jones get’s a 5th chance, but really, his name is now synonymous with being a complete failure. He has had to accept a contract that arguably does not reflect his talent because of his prior indiscretions. If he gets in any more trouble, he will have cut short his career and he will be on the street. With a lifestyle such as the one he has, would you put money on a guy like that surviving in civilian life for more than say, 2 years?
I’ll guarantee this: If Pacman is tossed out of the league in the next 18 months, ESPN will be writing the fluff piece on his death by 2012.
And if we can’t see past our moral high horse here, we will have overlooked the real tragedy of a life wasted.
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