In the wake of the news that linebacker Moise Fokou was charged with DUI in January, the question becomes whether the Titans knew about the situation when signing him to a contract in March.
If they did (or if they didn’t), the Titans aren’t saying.
In response to that question, a team spokesman deferred to the statement issued on Friday, after news of the incident broke. “We are aware of the report and we will let the legal process conclude before commenting further,” the Titans said at the time.
Though he became a free agent in March, Fokou was property of the Colts at the time of the incident. NFL rules require players to promptly notify their teams and/or the league office after such incidents.
It’s possible that the league office knew about the situation, but that the Titans didn’t. Often, information regarding off-field incidents or pending suspensions is available only on request, which means that every team should before signing any free agent call the league office and ask whether the player is currently in any form or degree of hot water.
Unless Fokou didn’t alert the Colts or the league to the situation, the possible answers to the current question can create potential P.R. issues for the Titans. Thus, not answering the question could be the only way to avoid having the topic become an even bigger problem.