But the bigger question to me is where is the players union?  They sent a letter to the NFL and made a big show a few weeks back stating that the NFL regular officials need to be brought back for the safety of the players.  They talk about why practices should be shorter, while pads should only be worn on certain days in practice, and that the safety of the players is their sole responsibility and reason for their actions.

They support the players in their lawsuit against the NFL involving the Saints bounty program.  Where is De. Smith today?  Wouldn’t a statement saying it doesn’t want coaches putting their players at risk, no matter which team they play for, and that this action by coaches is at the heart of the safety issue.  That the players are still put into this situation after the bounty program was exposed, and the union says nothing speaks volumes to the hypocrisy of DeMaurice Smith and the players union.  Be consistent, stand up for the rights of your players, and then someone might start to take you seriously.

Dez Bryant and Marshawn Lynch are the latest casualties of too much time off, or too much time at home actually.  Lynch is the bigger disaster as he has repeatedly been in trouble since high school.  His drivers license revoked, a misdemeanor weapons charge, a hit and run pled down to reckless driving, and now a DUI.  Thank goodness he can afford good lawyers.  Unfortunately the NFL is unimpressed with attorneys, and Lynch will certainly be suspended AGAIN.  On a team with three back-up caliber QB’s,  a College Caliber Coach who thinks discipline is a four letter word, and no wide receivers….their only weapon will be missing for a while come the regular season.

Dez Bryant has been a ticking time bomb since his days in college.  He may never grow up, or realize that making it to the NFL is not the prize, but staying there and changing your lifestyle and of those around you is.  Dez may not be suspended, but we need to see how it all plays out.

Others like Elvis Dumerville, Odrick Ray, Dion Lewis, Adrian Peterson, Kiante Tripp, Eris Wright, Aaron Berry, David Diehl, Justin Blackmon, Jerome Felton, Nick Fairley, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Caleb King, and Brandon Meriweather have all been arrested for some infraction since May.  More time off you say?  I don’t think so.  These guys live in a world of discipline and routine…take them out of that routine and they get lost.  Another failure by the players union, but hey, it keeps their fellow attorneys working.