by Robert A. Waters
The 2016-17 National Football League
training camps kicked off a couple of days ago just as a published
study attempted to portray most players as non-violent teddy bears.
The author stated that “only” 27% percent of the crimes committed
by players are violent. Listed below are just a few recent crimes, misdemeanors, and indiscretions committed by NFL stars.
Rolando McClain has
been in the league for six years and been in trouble almost since day
one. Chosen number 8 in the 2010 draft, McClain, who currently plays
with America's team, the Dallas Cowboys, has been arrested three
times. In addition, last year he was suspended for four games
because of substance abuse violations. This year, he re-offended and
will sit out ten games for the same reason. Despite these offenses,
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones signed McClain to a contract that gives him
40 million dollars in guaranteed money. Now Jones is squirming
because he sees that money going down the drain. Due to an alleged
addiction to “purple drank,” a mixture of Sprite, cough syrup and
codeine, it's unlikely that McClain will play a single game this
season. In fact, some pundits are comparing him to one of the NFL's
biggest busts, Jamarcus Russell. The former Raiders quarterback
signed a guaranteed contract worth millions and was released after
bloating up to 300 pounds amid allegations of purple drank addiction.
As if
the Cleveland Browns didn't have enough problems with perennial bad
boy Johnny Manziel,
now running back Isaiah Crowell
has been forced to apologize for posting an online picture of a
Jihadi John look-alike slitting the throat of a kneeling white police
officer. The caption read: “They give polices (sic) all types of
weapons and they choose to kill us...” Later, a lawyer-vetted
apology and retraction appeared, and the offensive picture was
removed. As training camp began, Crowell was said to have been
welcomed back into the good graces of Cleveland fans. (Too bad he's
not playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, whose partisans have been
known to boo Santa Clause.) While Crowell's action was not violent
and not a crime, it was despicable and he should be severely punished
by the Browns and the NFL.
Montee Ball,
who played for the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, was
recently arrested on a non-violent charge of “bail-jumping.”
Having previously been charged with domestic battery, he went to a
bar and began drinking. According to a police report, this violated
his bond, resulting in his arrest. In the original incident, police
reported that after he and his girlfriend argued at a Madison,
Wisconsin motel, Ball picked her up and threw her across the room.
The woman sustained a bruise to the back of her head and a cut leg
that required stitches. Soon after this incident, the Patriots
released Ball.
Legal
difficulties seem to follow former San Francisco 49er Ray
McDonald around like the
plague. The eight year veteran was first arrested in 2010 on charges
of drunk driving. In 2014, he was arrested for domestic violence.
His then-girlfriend, however, refused to cooperate with police and
the charges were dropped. His troubles finally caused the 49ers to
release him—the general manager of the 49ers said McDonald's
release was due to a “pattern of poor behavior.” He quickly
caught on with the Chicago Bears. But, true to form, in 2015,
McDonald was arrested in San Jose, California for “misdemeanor
domestic violence and child endangerment.” Police stated that
McDonald “physically assaulted the victim while she was holding a
baby.” Three days later, he was rearrested for violating a
restraining order against the woman. In addition to these problems,
in yet another case he has been charged with “rape by
intoxication,” meaning that he is accused of sexually assaulting a
woman while she was drunk. In any other profession, these arrests
and controversies would spell the end of a career. But the NFL is a
parallel universe with its own rules, and, like a cat with nine
lives, Ray McDonald could once again take the field as his adoring
fans cheer him on to victory.
A
talented player, New York Jets defensive lineman Sheldon
Richardson is quickly weeding
himself out of football. Although he made Rookie of the Year in 2013
and the Pro Bowl in 2014, he was suspended for four games in 2015 for
failing a drug test after testing positive for marijuana. But then
in July, 2015, Richardson was charged with resisting arrest along
with a multitude of traffic offenses. St. Louis police stated that
he was involved in a road race while driving his expensive Bentley.
When police attempted to pull him over, he fled. Driving up to 143
miles per hour and blowing though a red light, Richardson finally
stopped. Cops found a gun and smelled marijuana in the car. They
also found three passengers, including a 12-year-old boy.
Richardson plea bargained the case down to resisting arrest,
speeding, and running a red light. He received two years of
probation and 100 hours of community service. (I wonder what you or I would get for those offenses.) Speaking of his alleged
marijuana addiction, Richardson told reporters that he will now stay
off the drug because he risks losing lots of money if he continues toking and smoking.
And so it goes in
the NFL. Our heroes commit crimes and misdemeanors with few
consequences. And we settle back in front of the tube and cheer them
on.
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