Mistakes off field could prove costly for Draftees

NFL DRAFT
Mistakes off field could prove costly
BY BOB GLAUBER

The keywords are the same for this year's draft: speed, strength, quickness, agility, accuracy, power. But this year there's another word that stands out more than usual: character.

Now that first-year commissioner Roger Goodell has put down the hammer on Titans cornerback Pacman Jones and Bengals receiver Chris Henry, suspending them for a combined 24 games for off-field transgressions, NFL teams are more cognizant than ever about making sure the guys they draft will be solid citizens as well as productive performers.


There have always been prospects running afoul of the law whom personnel executives were leery about, such as Warren Sapp, Randy Moss and Lawrence Phillips. But with Goodell showing he means business with players who misbehave off the field, the stakes are that much higher on draft day when it comes to selecting players with rap sheets to match their stat sheets.

"We have always been conscious of the character background," new Giants general manager Jerry Reese said. "Obviously, it's a lot riskier now because of the steps taken by commissioner Goodell. He slapped some hands, broke some plates. So with those high-risk character guys, you have to be a little more careful about taking them."

Goodell is intent on restoring the league's reputation after a spate of off-field problems, including 10 instances in which Jones was interviewed by police; Henry's four arrests in 14 months; the arrests of eight other Bengals last season, and Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson's four-month jail sentence for violating probation after police raided his home and found six unregistered firearms.

"It is a privilege to represent the NFL, not a right," Goodell said in announcing the Jones and Henry suspensions. "These players and all members of our league have to make the right choices and decisions in their conduct on a consistent basis."

Now the message is clear: Clean up your act or get the hell out.

That's why it's incumbent on teams to do their homework on players with checkered backgrounds. If there's too much baggage, it's not worth the risk.

"These are young kids," Reese said. "They're impressionable. So you can't absolutely kill a guy because he had a beer after a party and got into a scuffle or something. A lot of these kids get parking tickets. But if a guy's got a blotter, you have to take that stuff into consideration."

That's where you have to draw the line and decide: Do you want a talented player who can't be trusted to handle himself in a mature fashion away from the game? Or do you find someone else who might not be as gifted athletically but who will show up to work on time and be a trusted teammate?

"Eric [Mangini] has this great expression of saying, 'The truth. Let's find out the truth,"' Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said of his coach.

Tannenbaum related the story of reading about the death of former Celtics guard Dennis Johnson, who had a questionable reputation before being traded to Boston.

"Dennis Johnson had a reputation of being a cancer in the [Suns'] locker room," Tannenbaum said. "When Dennis walked into the Celtic locker room, they nicknamed him 'Chemo' [short for chemotherapy]. I just passed that article out to the scouts."

The point: Johnson may have been a cancer in the Suns' locker room, but he turned into a cornerstone for some of the Celtics' greatest teams.

Tannenbaum then pointed to the Laveranues Coles situation in 2000, when the Jets were considering drafting the former Florida State receiver. Coles had been kicked off the team by coach Bobby Bowden after his involvement in a scheme in which he and teammate Peter Warrick were allowed to underpay for clothing at a department store. Coles also was charged with hitting his stepmother outside her Florida home, and was suspended for academic reasons.

But the Jets did their homework and decided Coles was worth the risk. He since has become one of the top receivers in franchise history.

"Obviously, there were some issues or the perception of issues with Laveranues," Tannenbaum said. "Laveranues has been a very good player and good person for the team for a long period of time. I feel confident in our process. I feel confident in the people executing the process. We want to get the right information. Our players come from all different parts of the country, shapes, sizes. We want to get down to the truth and find out who these guys are."

In today's NFL, it's more important than ever.

Potential problem players

Five players whose off-field behavior will be closely scrutinized leading up to draft day:

Marcus Thomas, DT, Florida.

Was suspended last year for failing several drug tests. After being reinstated in 2006, was dismissed for reportedly failing a marijuana test.

Ramonce Taylor, RB, Texas

After helping Texas win the national championship two years ago, Taylor was arrested on charges of marijuana possession and transferred to Texas College, where he sat out last year because he was academically ineligible.

Eric Wright, CB, UNLV

After starring at USC, he transferred to UNLV amid allegations of rape. The charges eventually were dropped.

Brandon Meriweather, S, Miami

Last summer, he pulled out a handgun and fired three rounds at an assailant who had shot Meriweather's teammate. Meriweather was not charged in the incident. He was involved in brawls against LSU during the 2005 Peach Bowl and again last season against Florida International. He was suspended for a game for his involvement in the FIU fight.

Tank Tyler, DT, N.C. State

He was arrested in 2005 for assaulting a police officer in a nightclub and he ejected from the Southern Miss game in 2006 for spitting.