NFLPolice Blotter

Another Lions Player Was Arrested, But Everyone Needs To Relax

The Detroit Lions are one of the most exciting teams in the NFL, on the field. Off the field, there’s rarely been a dull moment, either – but not in a good way. Most recently, for the sixth time this offseason, a Lions player was arrested. This time, it was cornerback Aaron Berry, arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Berry supposedly drove into “a lineup of parked vehicles,” then got out of his car and walked away. A witnessed called the police, and Berry was arrested at 4:45am, when he apparently didn’t cooperate with police and refused a breathalyzer test.

Not the best offseason. However: the Lions’ problems are a bit overblown, and heads shouldn’t be rolling over them. Berry and Nick Fairley both made the same, idiotic mistake, but this is an individual problem, not a team one. If your brother is arrested three times, does that mean you come from a bad family? Management can tell the players to use common sense and take taxis ad nauseam, but it’s up to the players to not make stupid decisions. And the Lions — management and players — don’t deserve to be labeled as “bad boys” just because a couple of players decided to be morons.

For the record, the six arrests are as follows: two DUIs, one for Fairley and one for Berry. The other four were for marijuana possession — one for Fairley, two for Mikel Leshoure, one for Johnny Culbreath. Clearly, this isn’t a good thing. And clearly, these guys have some growing up to do. The DUIs are absolutely inexcusable.

But let’s not freak out. Don’t go re-naming the Detroit Lions the Detroit Jailbirds just yet. Two horrible decisions and a few guys getting caught with weed doesn’t mean that management is turning a blind eye, nor that the team is a bunch of bad guys. Everyone needs to relax and realize that having a few guys doing dumb things on a 90-man roster is a coincidence, not a pattern.

[NFL.com]

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