Does Eric Wright’s Arrest Impact The Detroit Lions?
It has recently been reported that Eric Wright was arrested in L.A.for a D.U.I. Wright, a former Lion who just recently signed a five year deal with Tampa Bay has proven there is a serious problem off the field in the NFL that can be easily avoided, and must be addressed.
The Lions have had six arrests in six months this off-season and had Eric Wright still been on the Lions roster, this could have been the indecent that pushed the Lions front office to make some roster changes.
Although Wright is no longer with the Lions, it is strange that the one starter the Lions lost this off-season has found himself int the same trouble as Nick Fairley and Aaron Berry have. Wright’s arrest brings up a very important question, does Wright’s arrest point to a bad habit he might have picked up while playing for the Lions?
The is no way of knowing for certain, but it is certainly possible that the Lions’ locker room had some sort of impact on Wright’s off the field lifestyle, and it certainly seems that the Lions’ locker room needs some cleaning out, and fast. The Lions’ off-season woes have been spreading like a fungus and the only way to stop this from spreading further into the locker room is to take action. Whether that be cutting a player (which I have suggested in previous articles) or forcing the players who have slipped up this off-season to attend a rookie symposium (which has been a step Nick Fairley has voluntarily chosen to do), or perhaps force these players to attend some kind of counseling sessions or drunk driving awareness program. Regardless of what it might be, the Lions must take action.
Cutting a player would have the most effect on the locker room. Nothing gets a point across more like someone losing their job. However, I understand that if one player is cut there has to be a certain precedent that must be followed, and I know that many fans would not be happy if the Lions decided to start cutting players for slip ups and a player like Stafford slipped up and got cut.
The reality of it is that the Lions’ stars (Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson) are model citizens, and even if they did indeed slip up, it would be extremely unlikely that either player would get cut, regardless of if other players had been made an example of. It might not be fair, but it’s reality, and more than likely the Lions would not find themselves in a situation like this because Stafford and Johnson are such stand up guys.
Most likely we will not see anyone cut this off-season for the previous six arrests, but if another slip up occurs, it would be extremely hard for the Lions to not take this action. However, I firmly believe that Lions management must take some form of action on all the players arrested this off-season.
Taking any of the actions previously suggested might seem harsh, or unnecessary as these are grown men. I also thought these off the field issues would blow over at first and not require punishment. However, these incidents must not be taken lightly. After more and more arrests occurred in the Lions’ locker room, and Eric Wright’s recent arrest, it has become painfully obvious that some form of action must be taken for these issues to be resolved permanently.