DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum BUSTED. DWI for Braylon . . .

ok, here is what I understand...

the substance abuse and personal conduct policy can be combined for a singular event (ex. drunk guy resisting arrest, etc.). so 1 event and you can get an 'X' in both categories.

however, if you have an 'X' on the personal conduct policy last year and this year you get an 'X' on the substance abuse policy, the NFL cannot combine those as 2 offenses. they are 1 in each category.

Jets teammates disappointed -- but 'not surprised' -- by Braylon Edwards' DWI »
By Manish Mehta

Update: 4:30 pm: D'Brickashaw Ferguson AND Vernon Gholston were in the car with Braylon Edwards, according to source. Edwards is scheduled back in court on Nov. 9 -- the week leading up to the Jets game in Cleveland, ironically -- after being released this afternoon.

Update: 3:51pm: Left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson was in the car with Braylon Edwards at the time of the arrest, according to SNY. Ferguson wasn't taken into police custody.

A few hours after Braylon Edwards was arrested and charged with DWI on the West Side this morning, several Jets teammates expressed their disappointment with the mercurial wide receiver.
A few hours after Braylon Edwards was arrested and charged with DWI on the West Side this morning, several Jets teammates expressed their disappointment with the mercurial wide receiver.

“Not surprised,” one player told The Daily News.

Several players were most disappointed in Edwards’ selfishness and disregard for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. Edwards, of course, played a pivotal role in the Jets’ 28-14 win over the Patriots on Sunday. With Santonio Holmes suspended until Week 5, Edwards’ was the team’s primary deep threat.

“We need him,” one player said.

Despite Edwards’ importance to the offense, his teammates were adamant that his actions shouldn’t be tolerated.

“There’s no excuse for something like that,” a player said.

Former Jets safety Kerry Rhodes, a close friend of Edwards, responded to the Daily News’ tweets that several Jets were disappointed in Edwards’ selfishness. Rhodes took a shot at some of his former teammates, tweeting: “typical coming from that locker room… to say something bad about him rather than be on his side! But (when he) scored they were (probably were) the first one to celebrate with him.”

Edwards lived with Rhodes in his New Jersey condo for a while after he was traded from Cleveland last season. Rhodes, of course, has also been criticized by several teammates and coaches for what they perceived as a lack of aggressiveness on the field.

“Braylons a great dude that made a mistake damn. Just happy no one was hurt!” Rhodes later tweeted.

Edwards attended Jerricho Cotchery’s charity event in Manhattan Monday night. Cotchery told WFAN radio that the event wrapped up around 9:30 p.m. -- nearly 8 hours before Edwards was pulled over by the police.

“It’s important for us to support him as teammates,” said Cotchery, who maintained that Edwards “looked perfectly fine” at his event as he mingled with fans.

Punter Steve Weatherford also chimed in on ESPN’s SportsCenter: "It’s obviously a huge disappointment because he is such a huge part of our team offensively. In the locker room, he’s just a great guy to be around. Obviously, it looks like we may lose him for a few games. He’s been a huge part of our offense… so just disappointment at this point. This type of attention is not something that we want, but we will rally around Braylon (and) support him and get through this as a team.”

Weatherford later noted the Jets have a “very close-knit locker room.”

“Rex does a great job of coaching to our strengths and guys really believe in each other,” Weatherford added. “This is a little bit of a setback, but we will work through it."

Per the collective bargaining agreement, the NFL cannot suspend Edwards until he's been convicted. If he’s found guilty of violating the league’s substance abuse policy, he’d be subject to a fine up to $50,000 as a first-time offender. Edwards, though, may also be in violation of his probation stemming from a fight outside a nightclub in Cleveland last season.

Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum released a statement with some fairly strong language: “We are very disappointed in Braylon’s actions this morning. The Player Protect program is in place for our organization to prevent this situation. Braylon is aware of this program and showed poor judgment. We are reviewing the information with the league and will impose the appropriate disciplinary measures.”

To add to Edwards’ forgettable day, his Twitter ghostwriter apparently didn’t the get the news of his arrest at 5;15 a.m. Around 8 a.m., somebody tweeted this on Edwards’ official twitter page: "GoodMorning World...Winning is the goal, perfection is the aspiration, & dedication is the key to unlock the door #LetsWork."

The message has since been deleted.

The Jets could deactivate Edwards for the Jets’ Sunday night game at the Dolphins. Edwards had 9 catches for 167 yards in two games against the division rivals last season. He also scored two of his four touchdowns against Miami.

The Jets (1-1) would be woefully thin at wide receiver without him (with only Cotchery, Brad Smith and David Clowney.) It’s likely the team would sign another wideout - likely Laveranues Coles - if they decided to play without Edwards. (The Steelers took a similar approach by deactivating Santonio Holmes for a game in 2008 following a marijuana arrest).

Edwards peaked with a career season in 2007 when he had 80 catches for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns with the Browns. He averaged 80.6 yards that season before his production drastically declined. In 32 regular-season games since 2007, Edwards has averaged 47.3 ypg and has had just 8 touchdowns.

Rex Ryan admitted Monday that he would have given Edwards a game ball after the win over the Patriots if not for a 15-yard taunting penalty after his touchdown catch. Ryan spoke to Edwards after his immature act.

“I told him that he played a great game and we would have given him a game ball, but we didn’t because of those things,” Ryan said Monday. “I love the way he played. He was really into it, but you’re killing us. You can’t put the team in that kind of jeopardy…. I appreciate how passionate he is, but you don’t want to be selfish. That’s basically what that is. As great as he played, and no one is as big a Braylon fan as I am, that’s something I probably should have addressed right when it happened. I was too worried about trying to get them stopped, but that’s needed to be addressed and we did address it.

“He’s smart,” Ryan added. “He knows better than that. It’s not the first time he’s ever been in the end zone either. He knows.”



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/jets/20...9#ixzz10CZRjyku

Trouble Trailin' Braylon Edwards Is Nothing New
9/21/2010 3:46 PM ET By Pat McManamon

CLEVELAND -- The arrest of Braylon Edwards on Tuesday isn't a surprise to anyone who spent time with him in Cleveland.

Nor should it be a surprise to the New York Jets. Edwards' history is readily available. In fact, if the Jets thought Edwards was not going to get in trouble, they were pretty naive.

Yes, there was the thought that the brighter lights of New York City would help Edwards grow up and make something of his immense talents. That increased attention would help him be more responsible.

So much for that hope after Edwards' arrest for DWI.

To put the arrest in perspective, consider that Edwards was with Donte Stallworth the tragic morning of March 14, 2009. The two and linebacker D.J. Williams spent a few early morning hours at the Fountainbleau on Miami Beach, drinking Patron and champagne. Edwards and Stallworth parted company around 5 a.m. Stallworth went home, couldn't sleep and got up and drove to breakfast. On the way he hit a man crossing a busy road outside a crosswalk and killed him. Stallworth was legally drunk when the accident happened.

Stallworth swears he learned from the incident. Edwards appears to have learned nothing.


Stallworth's BAC ( blood alcohol content) was .126 in 2009. Tuesday, Edwards tested higher -- .16 -- when he was pulled over at 5 a.m. in Manhattan. That's twice the legal limit. The easy questions to ask are why Edwards was driving in Manhattan -- who drives there in the first place? -- and why was he driving after drinking, especially when the Jets provide a car service for players if there is any doubt?

Warning signs for this kind of incident -- which includes arrest embarrassment, time in a jail cell, possible NFL suspension -- have been present for years.

They go back to 2006, Edwards' second season in Cleveland. Then he was late for meetings on consecutive days. The second time happened because he fell asleep in the players' lounge after being up and out all night.

Stories of Edwards being out in downtown Cleveland circulated for years. One observer once talked of him sitting on a curb in the wee hours while bars emptied. At one point, a Browns official went to his family and advised them as a parent himself that Edwards had a problem. End result: Edwards stayed, the assistant was fired.

In 2007 Edwards dedicated himself to football and set Browns season records. That was a brief respite from off- and on-field turmoil. He started the next season, 2008, by racing Stallworth after practice. Edwards was not wearing shoes; Stallworth was. Edwards stopped at race's end, Stallworth didn't and landed on Edwards' foot. The spike opened a gash in Edwards' ankle deep enough to expose his Achilles' tendon.

While hurt, Edwards was pulled over for driving 120 miles per hour on a suburban interstate. He claimed he had a friend who had gotten sick and he was helping him, so the police let him go. When news broke that Edwards had been pulled over, police gave him a ticket. Edwards blamed the media, which was typical.

It's always someone or something else with Edwards, never him. He drops a pass; the sun is in his eyes. (That's what he said when he dropped three passes in the '08 opener.) When Cleveland fans booed him, he said it was because he's from Michigan. He gets traded, Cleveland was not his kind of town.

Edwards was traded a year ago, in Eric Mangini's first season as coach, after Edwards punched a friend of LeBron James outside a Cleveland bar, again in the wee hours. The size difference between James' friend and Edwards? Considerable. Yet Edwards sucker-punched him. This summer Edwards pleaded no contest to aggravated assault, and received a suspended 180-day jail sentence and was fined $1,000. He also was placed on probation.

That off-field incident was the proverbial final straw for the Browns. Edwards had been fined numerous times for being late by Mangini, and when he took a swing at a guy outside a bar the Browns traded him for some used chinstraps and elbow pads.

Monday night, Edwards was at a charity event hosted by fellow receiver Jerricho Cotchery. Admirable. The event, though, ended at 9:30 p.m. Edwards was arrested at 5 a.m., which leaves around eight hours to explain. That this all happened during a season the Jets have touted as a Super Bowl season. Hate to let professional responsibility get in the way.

Braylon Edwards

But then again, this is the same guy who introduced his parents and family as "Team B" in his initial news conference in Cleveland, a guy who refused to sign his contract because he wanted control of his marketing, a guy who sold a reality show to Cleveland TV that showed him complaining when he was not drafted by Miami and he was by Cleveland.

This is a guy who could never let go of his college days (obviously). To the point that when No. 1 Ohio State played No. 2 Michigan in Columbus the day before a Browns game in 2006, Edwards touted his desire to attend. Veteran players on the Browns pulled him aside and said he should not go. So did his coach at the time, Romeo Crennel.

Edwards went anyway -- and even flaunted his presence by appearing on national TV prior to the game. He thought it was OK because he took a helicopter there and back, but his return was delayed and he arrived late to a Saturday team meeting and was fined. "Team B" was acting like his usual "Team Me" self. The game the next day, by the way, just happened to be against Pittsburgh, the biggest game of the season for the Browns and their fans.

It's easy to be high and mighty when an athlete is arrested. Edwards was a likable guy on his good days, and he also pledged $1 million to Cleveland school kids, a rare act of generosity and care. But he never seemed to escape his other actions, and they have followed him to New York.

Edwards' arrest prompted folks in Cleveland to have a lot of fun at Edwards' expense on Tuesday. A text message to Tony Rizzo on ESPN-Cleveland 850 WKNR said Edwards was blaming his arrest on being from Michigan. Another texted that the judge should do as Edwards has done and "drop" the charges.

The lines were funny. Driving after drinking is not.

The day may come when Edwards looks back at this arrest and is grateful for it as a life-changing and perhaps life-saving event. That is up to him.

Right now it's a mess, an ugly mess. And the Jets could have seen the day coming if they had looked back as well.

As goofy as Braylon is, and as much as I love to see him fail, I'm glad no one was hurt. And, I hope that he woke up this morning feeling blessed and lucky.

Hopefully this is a kick in the pants that will help him grow up a little bit.

Though I wouldn't bet on it...

If Braylon Edwards wants to be a star he should start acting like one.

Braylon Edwards has always seen himself as a star. This is one reason he has been so successful in football, and it is probably also the reason he has not been successful enough. It is why you would be drawn to him if you met him, and also why you probably don't like him right now.

And it is the fact that Edwards must face today, on one of the worst days of his life. Edwards was arrested for driving under the influence early Tuesday morning. A man is innocent until proven guilty, of course, but lets face it: there are seldom misunderstandings with DUI arrests.

It is time for Edwards to re-evaluate everything in life. It is time for him to stop seeing himself as a star and start acting like he wants to really be one. He can still be the man I think he can be, instead of what the country thinks he is. But frankly, he doesn't have as much time as he thinks. He is 27 years old. Unlike most professions, pro football does not allow you to reinvent yourself at 35.

If Edwards doesn't change his ways soon, his legacy will be that of a knucklehead. Hey, some people on this planet are knuckleheads. But Edwards is bright and gifted and does not have to be one of them.

Everything about this arrest says Edwards' priorities are out of whack. According to reports, Edwards was pulled over because his windows were over-tinted. (Why anybody has a car with illegally tinted windows, I will never understand. You might as well call the cops on yourself.) He allegedly blew a .16 on a Breathalyzer, which is not just illegal but dangerously high, and utterly stupid. Edwards was drinking with fellow receiver Donte Stallworth last year, hours before Stallworth drove drunk and killed a man. If anybody should have been consciously aware of the risks of driving drunk, it is Edwards.

And he was arrested at 5:15 a.m. Drunk, high or stone-cold sober, NFL players should not be out until 5 a.m. during the season. That is no way to take care of your body. Players are usually motivated by either money or winning, and Edwards should be motivated by both right now. He is playing for a potential Super Bowl team and he will be a free agent after the season.

This arrest followed a weekend when Edwards caught a touchdown pass against the Patriots and immediately drew a taunting penalty, which pretty much sums up Edwards' NFL career. He has a habit of getting in the way of his own highlights.

Like a lot of athletes -- and more than most, to be honest -- Edwards sometimes confuses the fruits of success with actual success. I think this is one reason he has struggled with dropped passes since his college days -- on some level, he thinks about the touchdown before the catch.

Note that I did not say he has always seen himself as a great football player, though that may be true. What matters more is that he has always seen himself as a star, which is something else entirely. When Edwards said he fit in with the Jets better than the Browns because of his "New York essence," I don't think he meant it as a shot at Cleveland. New York is for the biggest, brightest stars. This is how Edwards sees himself, and he always has.

I've known Edwards since his freshman year at Michigan and I'm going to be in the minority among media folks when I say this, but I'll say it anyway: Edwards is not a jerk. He gives to charitable causes, he loves kids, and he is not one of those guys who treats people like garbage just because he can.

Unfortunately, whether Edwards realizes it or not, it is getting harder and harder for him to shake his image. Nobody wants to hear about his foundation or his often good intentions. In a sports world that is too often split neatly into good guys and bad guys, the perception is that Edwards is a bad guy.

Edwards comes from a family that is not easily defined. His parents got divorced when he was a kid, but they have always made an exceptional effort to get along, to the point where I once heard Braylon's father, Stan, tell a roomful of Detroit elementary school kids that Braylon's mother's husband was not a stepfather, but Braylon's "other dad." Stan, a former NFL running back, is a hard-driving but loving father. There is no doubt Stan wanted Braylon to be a football star, but I don't think this was for reflected glory for Stan. He just saw that Braylon had a chance to be a star, and he wanted him to be the best that he could be.

And Braylon always saw himself that way, too. He lobbied for the No. 1 jersey at Michigan, even after he was assigned No. 80 early in his career. He has since endowed that jersey number, but there are conditions, and one of them is this: no freshman can wear No. 1. It is a star's jersey.

Tuesday morning, while Edwards was apparently still in jail, somebody tweeted from Edwards' official Twitter account. Presumably, the ghost-tweeter was unaware the receiver had been arrested. The tweet was later deleted, but it was oddly fitting. There is a gap between the public persona that Braylon Edwards wants to create and the reality of his career. It's time for him to let go of the persona and worry about the reality.

link

Good article, and I agree.

However, one must acknowledge - concerning the cops reason for pulling him over - they need no reason. They pull you over for too tinted windows at 5 in the morning? They have no clue if your windows are too tinted........but they did find someone that had too much to drink. Were he stone cold sober, they'd have said "well, have a good morning."

As I've told my son thousands of times - when you're out late, the cops WILL come up with a reason to stop you. If you're fine, no problem. But don't ever think that being "fine" will prevent you from getting pulled over. Windows too dark, no signal for a lane change, license plate light burned out, etc.........all reasons to pull you over, regardless of whether your windows were in fact too dark, or if in fact you didn't signal, or if in fact you had a light out.

It's called life. Like it or not. A car, at 2 a.m., 5 a.m,, leaving a club or bar? You're asking for it.

Quote:

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concerning the cops reason for pulling him over - they need no reason.

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Free-est country in the world.

j/c

He was a punk in college and he is still a punk. Instead of his dad coddling him he should have kicked him in the ass. Braylon has all the God given talent to be one of the best. His entitlement attitude has probably ruined his name for ever. His dad has played a big part of it.

And I'll stand by what I said years ago: If you're talking about a 5 or 6 year pro by saying "he has the ability", what you are saying is "the guy hasn't done it yet.".

And that fits B to a T. The guy is a wannabe, with all the talent in the world. Yet he's still a wannabe. And every problem he creates is someone else's fault, according to Mr. Wannabe.

With hard work and some true honesty and humility, some of us recover

I did.

That's why I'm so hard on him now.



Tough love for the youngin's, yo.

flipped on espn radio this morning to mike and mike, and they were talking about the braylon thing, and how he could get OUT of this?

are you serious? if braylon were still on the browns, they'd be castrating him. but since it's the jets, they're trying to figure out a way to see if he can come out clean. unreal.

Just clicking

I was only half listening to Channel 3 this morning.. I guess that he was on some kinda probation for the incident in Cleveland when he was still here... So, there may be a situation where he has broken rules by getting this DWI and may have to return here for a hearing...

Again, I just got bits and pieces,, so I wonder if it's true and if I have it right

He was absolutely given a 180-day suspended sentence and probation for his incident here, the only thing that remains is what was the length of his probation?

If it was 6 months, he's free & clear as his sentencing was back in January. If it was like a year, then yes, he can be called back, and the suspension on the 180 day sentence can be vacated.

Not funny. Ohioans shouldn't have to pay any more for this guy, even if it's to keep him incarcerated.

Mike Golic is the last person in the media to rag on Cleveland. he is from here, his brother played here and he has great respect for this area.

His probation was reported as "inactive", whatever that means.

Inactive probation just means that you don't have to make regular reports/visits to your probation officer. If you keep your nose clean, you're done seeing the courthouse right after you pay your fines.

Active probation will typically require you to meet with your P.O. at least once a month, and you're usually subjected to regular, unannounced, drug/alcohol screenings.

Anyone hear what b.e. asked the cops? "Why don't you do a field sobriety check? They do in Michigan". And "So I have tints, if my driving didn't make you think I was drunk driving, why'd you pull me over?", And "How bout I just park my vehicle here and get a ride home."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/jets/2010-09-21-braylon-edwards_N.htm

I think that "moron" about sums him up.

I just saw that.

This could get ugly for him.

Cool, hadn't seen that. He is most certainly facing some troubles, but my guess is that the JETS and the NFL will work some behind-the-scenes stuff and nothing will come of it until the offseason, at the most.

I have several questions about this moron.

First, You can't cross a street in downtown NY without almost getting run over by a cab. They are freakin everywhere. Why not take a cab?

Second, From what I hear NFL players get a 1 800 card they can call that gets them a free ride home and nothing said to the press. Why not use it?

Third, You are Braby with all that money. When you get busted like this, taken down to the station, WHY on earth do you blow into the straw? You just gave the prosecutor and the judge all he needs to nail you. You gave them them the evidence to prosecute you. Thats just stupid. What you do is refuse the test, lose your license for 6 months.. with all the money you have? Big deal! No problem, you take a cab for 6 months. The prosecution has bupkis on you.. nada.. nuttin. Now, Goodell might be able to do something to you, but certainly not as much as he's gonna do to you now.

In the immortal words of our hero.. Bugs Bunny..

idiot.

I don't know about NY but here in my neck of the woods they wake up a judge to get a court order for a blood test
if you don't blow into the straw.
This happened to my moms neighbor about two months ago

police have every right to pull someone over who has their front seat windows tinted. it is for the safety of EVERYONE.

you aren't supposed to have them and you know it.

link

This is from the link above:

Quote:

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Regardless, the team has every right to be very upset with Edwards and the men who reportedly were in the vehicle with him -- left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and defensive end Vernon Gholston. As Chris Mortensen of ESPN pointed out earlier today, the Jets conducted a team meeting last week to distribute a flyer explaining the Player Protect program, which provides no-cost transportation by limo from a "full service security and security driving company."

So it wasn't just one player who failed to connect the two dots and seek out a free ride. It was three.

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DC Probably does