NFL Players Should Be Role Models

Recently, the outbreak of troubled NFL players has been disgusting. As if the legal troubles of the Cincinnati Bengals were not bad enough in the 2006 season, the 2007 season has had its woe of chaos before the season could even begin.

Adam 'Pacman' Jones, who at the time was on the Tennessee Titans was tied to a Las Vegas club shooting that ended up paralyzing the victims. Surprisingly, Commissioner Roger Goodell felt that, even with Jones' prior encounters with trouble, that only a one-year suspension was sufficient. Controversy arose, however, when Jones decided to join TNA, Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling, which many viewed as a violation of his NFL clause, as it has potential risk to his physical health.

Not long after Jones' incident, Terry "Tank" Johnson was caught for a DUI. This violated probation he had been on for weapons charges and repeated previous probation violation offenses. His team at the time, the Chicago Bears, ended up cutting him after he received an eight game suspension. Currently, he has been signed by the Dallas Cowboys for when he is able to return to the NFL.

More recently, Michael Vick has been in the news. After charges of participating in a dog-fighting organization, Vick was suspended indefinitely. As if this was not bad enough, he also tested for having marijuana in his system not long after his arrest. The future for Vick is more hazy, as Len Pasquarelli for ESPN reports that Vick could face up to 40 years in jail from the State of Virginia, in addition to his Federal charges.

DeAngelo Hall, an Atlanta Falcons defensive back, did not get his name in the news recently for any legal problems, but nonetheless, has not been a positive NFL role model. The Associated Press reported on September 26 that Hall had been fined $100,000 by his team for his antics on the September 23 game against the Carolina Panthers. Following a Carolina offensive series that resulting in a touchdown, Hall was called for two personal foul penalties, as well as another penalty, totaling over 60 yards. When he made his way to the sideline, his coach, Bobby Petrino, approached the cornerback, and rather than being able to scold his defensive back, Hall threw what resembled a temper-tantrum and began yelling at his coach.

Compared to the previously mentioned athletes, Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson seem to look like saints, yet they continue to take criticism for their touchdown celebrations. Johnson has pulled antics such as Riverdancing after a touchdown once, and Owens has pulled many memorable ones, such as the time he pulled out a Sharpie and signed a football following a touchdown reception. In comparison to what some of their peers have done, at least these actions are not forbidden by the Federal or State laws. While they have received NFL-sanctioned fines for their celebrations, at least it is a somewhat positive experience to be remembered for, rather than drug, gun or dog-fighting charges.

What has happened to NFL players that set the example for up and coming athletes and fans in general? Players such as Brett Farve receive less attention for all the good he has done for Green Bay and his acts that go unspoken in the national media. Even Kurt Warner this past week stepped in for starter Matt Leinart, finished the game and was shown on ESPN SportsCenter the next morning talking to Leinart after the game, in what seemed to appear as a mentor telling his successor to hang in there during his slump. Even Ken Dorsey, who never had an amazing career as an NFL quarterback, has been talked about in conjunction with Cleveland's recently drafted quarterback Brady Quinn, who the Cleveland Plain Dealer quoted as having said "You can't put a price on the things I [Quinn] think he [Dorsey] brought to the table for us as a team", just after Dorsey was cut by the Cleveland Browns due to roster space. While not well-known, Dorsey is serving as a mentor and a coach now to Quinn in Cleveland after being resigned, yet is less talked about than players that get in trouble with either Federal laws or NFL rule violations.

Unfortunately, more often than not, there are reports about an NFL player getting suspended or getting in trouble with his team or the law, and it makes not only that player look bad, but the league look bad as well. NFL players need to realize that high school football players, college players and even little kids are watching what they do and lead by example. If NFL players do not "shape up" as a whole, it is going to turn into a disease that just spreads from generation to generation and plagues future generations of the NFL.