By Shane Bulcher
Some say the NFL is a big family, if so, they are a very dysfunctional one. Over the past couple of decades there have been many incidents that have left the league with a black eye, but it seems like there has been a 
spike in recent years. Maybe former commissioner Paul Tagliabue saw something and decided to jump ship (maybe it was the Vikings Love Boat), because all of a sudden the NFL (not just the Bengals) is full of players committing crimes, and many enter the league with criminal pasts. I don’t think there’s a comparable league out there if you were to stack up the arrests’ tally (albeit NFL rosters are much larger than other leagues). Cincinnati has felt the pain more than any other team in recent years, and consequently received the most (negative) coverage, but by no means are they alone. In fact, it almost seems like teams are playing catch up as of late.
At one point it felt as though only one team had trouble staying out of….. trouble, the Bengals. But then Michael Vick, Ricky Williams and a slew of other players made some very poor decisions and found themselves in serious trouble. It suddenly became clear the Bengals weren’t alone by any means. The league itself has some serious issues. Commissioner Roger Goodell has dropped the hammer during his short time at the top, with more sever suspensions and sanctions, but it hasn’t deterred players from breaking the law.
Watching ESPN over the weekend, I noticed several disturbing NFL reports on the ticker. First, was Bears’ RB Cedrick Benson’s second arrest in five weeks (DUI); followed by Bills’ RB Marshawn Lynch’s alleged hit and run this past week (also know as pulling a Lance Briggs); and lastly was Patriots’ OT Nick Kaczur’s narcotics case 
with the DEA. All of this in one day! I almost felt the same way I did when I read about Chris Henry’s fourth arrest, are they ever going to learn? Not only are the players themselves getting in trouble, some are even putting others’ lives in danger.
I would never say it’s good to hear that other teams are dealing with the same issues the Bengals have experienced. In fact I hate to see young people like Odell Thurman (the Bengals version of Maurice Clarrett) making such horrible choices in life. Once they step off the field they are people with families, just like us. But I will say it has been a nice break from the negative press, and I am sure we can all agree. From the Bengals’ perspective, no news has proved to be good news (regarding player conduct). But the league hasn’t been so lucky recently, and it doesn’t appear to be getting any better.
2 comments ↓
There is plenty of blame to go around on this subject. When these guys are in high school they get away with pretty much anything and everything. When they get to college its much of the same with money thrown their way as well. They have learned that the rules don’t really apply to them and that somehow, someway..they will escape any real consequence. How can we expect that the NFL is going to change their behavior? Anyway, most of the time individual team management is doing its best to look the other way and hope for the best. The guys are not even following their own team rules. If this is going to change it has to start when these guys are playing in middle school. I just don’t see that happening.
I guess the NFL got their cake and now they have to eat it too! They wanted bigger stronger players and I think a lot of what we are seeing is out of control ‘roid rage induced behavior. Maybe it’s time to rethink the price the players pay for “entertainment”.
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