01-23-2007, 05:18 PM
This is not a repeat, or a déjà vu moment. Or a remake of Groundhog Day.
A member of the Cincinnati Bengals has been arrested.
Specifically, cornerback Johnathan Joseph, a first-round draft pick in the April 2006 draft, has been busted for marijuana possession.
Joseph was a passenger in a vehicle operated by a woman with a suspended license who was "driving slowly and weaving." The police asked Joseph to get out of the vehicle, and they smelled marijuana. They searched Joseph's backpack (which carried a Super Bowl logo) and found a bag of pot in it.
He's the ninth Cincy player to be arrested since December 2005. As one reader pointed out, that's more than 1/6th of the 53-man roster.
Though it would be nice if the NFL believed that problems like this will serve only to drive away fans, we've got a feeling that the sport will continue to be as popular as ever, despite the warts. Maybe we all really do love the sport so much that we're willing not to notice the problems. Or maybe we're just numb to it.
Regardless of the reason, we think the NFL won't take any meaningful steps along these lines before there's a clear link between player misbehavior and a reduction in the bottom line. And, frankly, we don't see that happening unless and until a current player intentionally kills or maims a woman or a child.
Oh, wait. That one already happened. Okay, maybe the player has to kill a woman or child and then eat the body.
A member of the Cincinnati Bengals has been arrested.
Specifically, cornerback Johnathan Joseph, a first-round draft pick in the April 2006 draft, has been busted for marijuana possession.
Joseph was a passenger in a vehicle operated by a woman with a suspended license who was "driving slowly and weaving." The police asked Joseph to get out of the vehicle, and they smelled marijuana. They searched Joseph's backpack (which carried a Super Bowl logo) and found a bag of pot in it.
He's the ninth Cincy player to be arrested since December 2005. As one reader pointed out, that's more than 1/6th of the 53-man roster.
Though it would be nice if the NFL believed that problems like this will serve only to drive away fans, we've got a feeling that the sport will continue to be as popular as ever, despite the warts. Maybe we all really do love the sport so much that we're willing not to notice the problems. Or maybe we're just numb to it.
Regardless of the reason, we think the NFL won't take any meaningful steps along these lines before there's a clear link between player misbehavior and a reduction in the bottom line. And, frankly, we don't see that happening unless and until a current player intentionally kills or maims a woman or a child.
Oh, wait. That one already happened. Okay, maybe the player has to kill a woman or child and then eat the body.