By getting rid of a distraction, the Dolphins may have created an even bigger one.
Middle linebacker Karlos Dansby, appearing on 640 Sports in Ft. Lauderdale with Sid Rosenberg, said that the leader of the team’s defense disagrees with the decision to cut receiver Chad Johnson loose.
“It’s going to be a bigger distraction because we let him go,” Dansby said, via excerpts of the show disseminated by 640 Sports. “He didn’t get that third strike. That’s just me personally. . . . We’ve been through worse. We’ve seen worse.”
But Johnson was on a one-strike arrangement. And it sounds like the coaching staff and/or front office didn’t do a good enough job explaining that to the team leaders when Johnson was signed.
Even if the players knew or should have known that Chad was in danger of being dumped if he made only one mistake, Dansby isn’t buying that Chad head-butted his wife.
“That’s not Chad,’' Dansby said. “If anybody knows Chad, that’s not Chad.”
Dansby specifically said he’s “upset” that Chad was cut. “The man don’t drink, the man don’t smoke,” Dansby said. “He may clown around but when it comes to football, he’s all about football. That’s his life. For him to be in this situation, that’s unfortunate. And it’s out of character.”
That said, Dansby acknowledged that the front office likely has more information than the players regarding the situation. Still, he said it’s “tough to lose a good man.” And Dansby added that he believes he speaks for the entire team.
We realize that, when it comes to whether or not someone will go to jail, the person is innocent until proven guilty. When it comes to employment -- especially in a high-profile industry that counts on members of the public to devote their money and/or their time to the endeavor -- merely getting arrested (even if the charges are false) could be enough to get a guy fired.
Especially when the guy came to town with enough baggage to make the employer leery.