For NFL players who are inclined to find trouble off the field, late June and early July -- after minicamp and before training camp -- is a prime time for it. Which means that right now is one of the prime times for NFL teams to worry about what their players are up to.
In the case of the Lions and their 2011 first-round draft pick, defensive tackle Nick Fairley, that means making plans to keep tabs on a troubled player. Anwar S. Richardson of MLive.com reports that Lions coach Jim Schwartz said the team plans to monitor Fairley before training camp begins next month.
Schwartz didn’t get into any of the specifics of those plans, but the Lions obviously want to ensure that Fairley -- who was arrested once for marijuana possession and once for drunk driving this offseason -- doesn’t get his third arrest of the year.
“He has a plan for what’s going to go on in the month off, as do the rest of our players,” Schwartz said. “They get ready for training camp. There’s still workouts. There’s a lot of different things. I don’t want to be particular with him, but he has a plan.”
Ideally, the Lions would be able to count on Fairley to conduct himself the right way without the team keeping tabs on him. And the reality is that if a player is intent on driving drunk, possessing illegal drugs or doing anything else that can land him in legal trouble, there’s only so much a team can do to stop him. But the Lions, who still believe Fairley can be a great player on their defensive line, are going to do what they can to keep him in line.