Photo Credit: Jason Bridge-US PRESSWIRE

One day after releasing the troubled Aaron Berry the Detroit Lions have parted ways with another player that was arrested over the offseason. Offensive tackle Johnny Culbreath has been released by the team after they signed former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Jonathan Scott.

Culbreath, originally a seventh-round draft pick by the Lions in 2011, was arrested on charges of marijuana possession in January. That being said, this move is a big upgrade to the Lions roster and likely has little (or nothing) to do with Culbreath’s arrest.

Jonathan Scott should be a familiar name to Lions fans; the Lions originally drafted Scott in the fifth round of the 2006 draft. He appeared in 20 games with the Lions and made six starts.

Scott was released by the Steelers earlier this week after they signed Max Starks.

Photo Credit: Tim Fuller-US PRESSWIRE

Rookies report to training camp today and not a minute too soon. The Detroit Lions finally made the playoffs for the first time in a decade and the fans are pumped up for the start of the 2012 season. The fans have plenty of…. DATELINE-JANUARY 23 2012, JOHNNY CULBREATH IS ARRESTED FOR SIMPLE POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA… reasons to expect the Lions to make the playoffs again.

The Lions main reason for optimism is that they possess the most… DATELINE-FEBRUARY 18 2012, MIKEL LESHOURE IS ARRESTED FOR SPEEDING AND POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA… dynamic quarterback-wide receiver combination in the league with Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. That duo sends chills down the spines of defensive coordinators just thinking about stopping that pair. The Lions on Defense… DATELINE-MARCH 12 2012, MIKEL LESHOURE IS ARRESTED AGAIN FOR SPEEDING AND POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA–THIS TIME HE TRIED TO EAT THE EVIDENCE… are another matter. They need to get more push from the defensive line, they need more from Nick Fairley… DATELINE-APRIL 3 2012, NICK FAIRLEY IS ARRESTED FOR SPEEDING AND 2ND DEGREE POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA… who spent most of his rookie year injured. The Lions plan on Fairley’s contribution to be much HIGHER than his rookie season.

The plan to rotate Ndumakong Suh and the rest of the defensive lineman will help… DATELINE-MAY 27 2012, NICK FAIRLEY IS ARRESTED AGAIN FOR BASICALLY DOING THE SAME THING, ADDING UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND RECKLESS DRIVING TO HIS RESUME…the Lions pass rush because the defensive backfield in the weakest position on the team and needs all the help it can get. The Lions are statring Chris Houston on one end and Aaron Berry on the…DATELINE-JUNE 23 2012, AARON BERRY IS ARRESTED FOR DRIVING DRUNK INTO PARKED CARS AND TRY TO LEAVE THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT…other. The Lions were so nervous about the performance of their DB’s they drafted…DATELINE-JULY 22 2012, AARON BERRY IS ARRESTED AGAIN FOR BRANDISHING A GUN…three cornerbacks to fill their biggest need on the team. That decision is looking real smart now.

I hope I got my point across about the bizarre off season the Lions had. On one hand, the Lions were the darlings of the offseason evaluators, who are saying they could be the next great dynasty in the NFL. Couple that with 4 players being arrested a total of 7 times since the season ended, and you can see why training camp CAN’T get here fast enough.

Let’s admit that the Lions cut Aaron Berry because they needed to make an example of someone who was replaceable. If Fairley or Leshoure weren’t so critical to the Lions success they would have been the one made an example of. To the rest of the league, they were looking like a pirate ship that had committed mutiny on the captain. The Lions finally had a expendable player have a total meltdown, one that could be cut.

Now that the offseason is officially over, lets hope that’s the last we hear of things not related to the Lions making the Super Bowl.

Tucker, who is an annual moderator at the NFL Rookie Symposium, identified that Johnny Culbreath, Mikel Leshoure, and Nick Fairley, all 2011 NFL Draft picks, did not attend the NFL Rookie Symposium during their rookie season because one was not held due to the NFL lock out. 2010 undrafted free agent Aaron Berry did not attend the NFL Rookie Symposium held before his rookie season because undrafted free agents are not invited to attend the event.

Dec 11, 2011; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions defensive back Aaron Berry (32) after being injured during the first half against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-US PRESSWIRE

This is an interesting trend because the NFL Rookie Symposium uses a host of speakers to discuss various things rookies will face while in the NFL.

Two things discussed at the symposium include drug and alcohol use, and the consequences a player can face both on and off the field if a player is caught abusing such things.

Culbreath, Fairley, and Leshoure were arrested for marijuana possession, and Fairley and Berry were arrested for driving under the influence.

It is hard to say that if each of the Lions players who were arrested would have attended the NFL Rookie Symposium that their incidents would have been avoided. However, attending the symposium could have been beneficial for them to learn about the consequences that each player is currently facing this offseason in the courtroom and in the court of public opinion.

Last week, second year defensive tackle Nick Fairley decided to attend this year’s symposium, alongside the AFC rookies, as a leap of good faith to show the NFL, his fans, and the Detroit Lions that he is trying to clean up his act. Attending the symposium will prove to be beneficial for his future life in the NFL.

For the rest of the offseason, let’s hope this trend ceases to matter and that no more Detroit players are arrested.