Jordan’s Serial: One Step Too Far For Patriot Law
It’s easy to get lost in the jungle of free agency, and the seemingly long months of rumours of who is going where and why. There has been no shortage of drama this NFL offseason, proving once again that it’s a 24/7, 365 days a year business. Some of the headlines have been head scratchers, some just plain amazing, and others leave you wondering, well…why?
The ongoing case surrounding the death of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd is a very sombre one. It will of course be grabbing headlines for the foreseeable future as evidence is gathered, and the police look to wrap up all the very loose ends. Any homicide such as this one would grab TV time and a few column inches of course, but when the prime suspect is a high profile, raw talent in the NFL, the spotlight falls large and wide across the whole messed up scene.
There will be many more questions raised whatever the judicial outcome of the case, questions that the NFL will have to take to task. There has been a lot of comment about the amount of players that are falling the wrong side of the law during the off-season. It is hard to see exactly what the league can do though. The season ends, the players are idle and have a lot of free time. It would be easy to point the finger at a players past and their roots, but these grown men have a responsibility when they enter the world of professional sports.
Are they role models for the youngsters growing up, idolising their every move, wanting their jersey so they can emulate them in the park, aspiring to be them, or better, when they grow up? It’s a tired argument and the majority of the players will recognise the power they have to influence the next generation. Those influenced to let themselves, and others surrounding them, from teammates to coaches, sponsors to fans, down, well they just have to live with the fact that they only have their self-centred actions to blame for the bad press they receive.
Thankfully, Aaron Hernandez was playing for one of the toughest hard line coaches in the league. Bill Belichick waited as long as he could as the drama unfolded a fortnight ago, but when the player was finally arrested and charged with Lloyd’s murder, his own cut was just as swift. Belichick did what was the obvious thing to do, but, in my opinion, by standing by his man until the last moment showed that he was willing to show some compassion. The cloud still remains over the New England Patriots and will not be easy to shrug off.
The Patriots have started recent seasons as the favourites to bag the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season, and they will be thereabouts come the end of this one, if only by virtue that the division they are in is arguably one of the weakest in the AFC. I have gone on record before saying that the Patriots dynasty is well and truly over. Other teams have either caught with them talent wise, or are simply not scared of them anymore. It would be the Patriot way of course to prove myself and other doubters wrong, but no matter how good Belichick skills are, the writing is well and truly on the wall, and the events of the last two weeks will prove to be more telling than he will let on.
The Clock Is Ticking, Its Almost Time!
With only nine weeks until the 2013 season starts (yes, my iPhone is on countdown) training camp is nearly upon us. Venues and dates have been released and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be the first to open their doors when they invite all rookies to attend on July 17th. This is of course is when all the hard work begins and before you know it we will be into pre-season exhibition games and the final roster cuts that really matter. Let the good times roll…
