Think Positive, Bengals Fans: At Least Chris Henry Won't Be Lonely This Season
Friday, May 18, 2007
Boy, Roger Goodell is a busy man.
After spending the offseason dealing with the behavioral issues of Pacman Jones, Chris Henry and Tank Johnson, the guy probably wanted nothing more than to take a quick break before finishing up with Michael Vick and getting ready for the 2007 season. A nice getaway with the wife over Memorial Day weekend would have been nice - take a step back, catch his breath, recharge the batteries as the NFL heads into the summer.
One problem: players keep getting in trouble.
Bengals linebacker A.J. Nicholson officially kicked off Cincinnati's 2007 campaign when he was arrested on Friday and charged with fourth degree assault after a woman called 911 and accused him of hitting her in the face. He was later released on $5,000 bond.
Because this is the 23-year-old Nicholson's second brush with the law (he was still on probation from a previous incident in Florida in 2006), he might become the latest in the long and distinguished list of players to be called on the carpet by Goodell, who has shown that he is unafraid to suspend anyone whose behavior proves detrimental to his vision of NFL-appropriate behavior. As more details emerge regarding this latest issue, Nicholson's future with the Bengals and the league should become more clear.
My hope in this case is the same as in every situation involving a professional athlete and the law: while suspensions may be a necessary part of the punishment, it would be nice if the leagues didn't stop there. Part of me is an optimistic idealist who believes that there is some good in everyone, no matter how misguided they appear externally. It's a tough thing to ask, and one could certainly argue that it's not the responsibility of professional teams to "babysit" grown men, but I would like to see the Bengals (and any other team with behavior issues) sit down and try to get to the root of these problems. Suspensions are only band-aids - the players will serve them, then get back on the field and fall right back into the old bad habits. Everyone will be better off if the teams actually try to help the players turn their lives around. - OMDQ
After spending the offseason dealing with the behavioral issues of Pacman Jones, Chris Henry and Tank Johnson, the guy probably wanted nothing more than to take a quick break before finishing up with Michael Vick and getting ready for the 2007 season. A nice getaway with the wife over Memorial Day weekend would have been nice - take a step back, catch his breath, recharge the batteries as the NFL heads into the summer.
One problem: players keep getting in trouble.
Bengals linebacker A.J. Nicholson officially kicked off Cincinnati's 2007 campaign when he was arrested on Friday and charged with fourth degree assault after a woman called 911 and accused him of hitting her in the face. He was later released on $5,000 bond.
Because this is the 23-year-old Nicholson's second brush with the law (he was still on probation from a previous incident in Florida in 2006), he might become the latest in the long and distinguished list of players to be called on the carpet by Goodell, who has shown that he is unafraid to suspend anyone whose behavior proves detrimental to his vision of NFL-appropriate behavior. As more details emerge regarding this latest issue, Nicholson's future with the Bengals and the league should become more clear.
My hope in this case is the same as in every situation involving a professional athlete and the law: while suspensions may be a necessary part of the punishment, it would be nice if the leagues didn't stop there. Part of me is an optimistic idealist who believes that there is some good in everyone, no matter how misguided they appear externally. It's a tough thing to ask, and one could certainly argue that it's not the responsibility of professional teams to "babysit" grown men, but I would like to see the Bengals (and any other team with behavior issues) sit down and try to get to the root of these problems. Suspensions are only band-aids - the players will serve them, then get back on the field and fall right back into the old bad habits. Everyone will be better off if the teams actually try to help the players turn their lives around. - OMDQ
(Photo credit: Yahoo! Sports)
3 Comments:
TJX
said...
May 19, 2007, 2:29:00 PM
How many degrees of assault are there? I guess we'll leave it to the Bengals to find out. This was the first time I've ever heard of 4th degree assault. If that's punching someone in face (which I would assume was a higher degree of assault), is 6th degree assault flicking someone's ear? What about nearly touching someone while repeating "I'm not touching you."
Anonymous
said...
May 19, 2007, 3:44:00 PM
i beleive that is 9th degree assault,
8th degree assault being making the other person smack themselves while repeating "stop hitting your self."
Anonymous
said...
May 19, 2007, 3:56:00 PM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Boy am I having fun with my battle of the handcuffs series at my blog.