NFL Clamps Down on Bad Boys

Posted by Jerry M. Gutlon Jun 27, 2007

Has the National Football League gone too far in implementing its new, stricter player conduct policy? And, did the Chicago Bears jump the gun when the franchise cut loose budding superstar Tank Johnson on Monday?

Methinks the answer to both is a resounding, “No!”

The NFL, anxious to clean up its image, instituted its newest player conduct policy less than 10 years after Baltimore Ravens star linebacker Ray Lewis was implicated in a grisly murder. But, true to current trend toward the burgeoning anti-social tendencies of spoiled, pampered, bored and rich professional athletes, the pendulum continues to swing the wrong way.

Suspended Tennessee Titan cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones – already slated to miss the 2007 season because of his off-the-field actions – now faces two felony charges stemming from a Feb. 19 melee in Las Vegas that culminated in the shooting of three people, one who is now paralyzed.

That was the third strip club incident Jones was implicated in – and now there’s a fourth. Last week outside of Atlanta, another strip club altercation resulted in shooting apparently involving members of Jones’ posse, if you will. Police still want to talk with Jones about the June 18 gunplay. His lawyer said Jones will cooperate, but he’s yet to submit to questioning.

Of course, firearms played a big part in Tank Johnson’s miscreant behavior as well. Johnson, already on probation for a firearms violation, was busted in December after authorities confiscated eight weapons at his home in suburban Chicago. He was suspended for the first eight games of the 2007 NFL season, and – like Jones – promised to be on his best behavior. That is, until he was busted in a Phoenix suburb early last Friday, suspected of driving while impaired.

Which brings us to the all-time single season rushing record holder as an NFL quarterback: Michael Vick. Vick, whose impromptu on-field play probably cost Atlanta coach Jim Mora Jr. his job, twice flipped off Falcon fans on national television after the team was resoundedly spanked by the New Orleans Saints last November.

After the conclusion of the season (and Mora’s tenure in Atlanta) Vick was caught with a water bottle that sported a secret compartment smelling of marijuana at Miami International Airport. Then, the poor misguided multi-millionaire was implicated in a seamy dogfighting scenario he may have sponsored at his mansion in rural Virginia. He’s still under investigation by both federal and county authorities for that mess.

As several national columnists have noted, it’s time that the NFL and the public in general hold these adult delinquents accountable for their actions. Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit News posed several theoretical questions to Pacman last week, while Fox Sports’ Kevin Hench called for an NFL housecleaning this week after Johnson’s release. Meanwhile, Sirius Radio’s Adam Schein said another NFL club would be bananas to sign Tank.