On a day where Miami police officers exonerated Falcons QB Michael Vick of alleged marijuana possession charges, Cincinnati Bengal CB Johnathan Joseph picked up the slack. The Bengals 2006 first round draft pick was arrested early Monday morning when the car he was riding in got pulled over. Joseph reportedly reached for his backpack when asked to get out of the car, prompting the officer to seize the bag. The backpack contained a small bag of marijuana nestled next to a video game.
Joseph played extensively as a rookie and garnered a vote for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. After an injury to veteran Deltha O'Neal, Joseph started the Bengals final seven games. While Marvin Lewis has helped resurrect this team from the ashes, the organization clearly paid a price for success. Following a successful 2005 season, the Bengals seemed to be in good position to repeat as AFC North champions. Instead, player arrests trumped victories 9 to 8 in the last nine months. Chris Henry lead the way with an astounding four arrests on a variety of misdemeanors, followed closely by fellow 2005 draftee Odell Thurman whose drunk driving chargers and failed drug tests cost him the 2006 season. Head coach Marvin Lewis has come under fire from several veterans who feel he needs to take stronger actions. The blame can not stop there. Eight of the nine players arrested this season have been drafted by the organization since 2003. Clearly the decision makers have been more concerned with taking Cincinnati out of the basement than drafting character guys. For some of these players their actions may be isolated and in no way a testament to their character. However, it is evident that several of these players do not deserve the opportunity to play football. In May, after the fourth arrest of Henry and the first for rookie AJ Nicholson, I cautioned on this blog that this could become a team epidemic. Several months later it has taken on Jailblazers proportions. The ironic part of this whole mess is the distractions prevented a talented team from performing up to their capabilities. Therefore the organization sacrificed character to win, yet could not even accomplish that goal. A message needs to be sent to these players by management. If they fail to, commissioner Goodell should hold the organization accountable and slap them with a fine.
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1 comment:
Good for people to know.
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