On Wednesday, Browns running back Dion Lewis used Twitter to chime in on the Aaron Hernandez case, pointing out that one of Hernandez’s friends “snitched” on him. Lewis deleted the tweet.
On Thursday, teammate Greg Little used the social media mega-platform to comment on the most recent Patriots arrest, with cornerback Alfonzo Dennard apprehended for suspicion of DUI.
“Off season of the DUIs sheesh!” Little said.
Actually, the 2013 offseason isn’t much of an aberration. A total of eight players and two team employees have been arrested for DUI or suspicion of it since the 2012 regular season ended. Last year, 13 DUI arrests occurred during the offseason.
Any DUI arrest is one too many, since every DUI arrest could lead to serious injury or death. It should have been a lot lower this offseason, since in December a DUI incident involving Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent claimed the life of Cowboys linebacker Jerry Brown.
So basically whatever the NFL is doing to fully and finally solve the problem isn’t working. At some point, the NFLPA needs to realize that efforts by the league to beef up DUI penalties is less about making a concession and more about engaging in self-preservation.