With
the arrest
of Miami wide receiver Chris
Chambers this past weekend, some might start to wonder if
the Dolphins have evolved into Bengals
over the off
season. Chambers,
a 2005 pro bowler
and star of, ahem, my fantasy team, was picked
up in North Carolina
for driving while impaired, reckless driving,
and speeding on July 14th. With the
arrest, Chambers
is now the third Dolphin to be taken into custody this year. If eight more Dolphins find
themselves behind bars, they
will pass the Cincinnati Bengals
and lead the
league in most (jail) yards gained.
Besides Chambers, Fred Evans, a defensive tackle
with Miami, was arrested on June 23 for trespassing, resisting arrest with violence,
disorderly conduct, and battery on a police officer.
Joey Porter, the Steeler turned Dolphin, was arrested for a March conflict where
he was accused
of punching Levi Jones, an offensive lineman for the
- go figure - Cincinnati Bengal. Porter was eventually charged with a misdemeanor.
So, there you have itare the Dolphins taking a page from the Bengals and - in lieu of evading sacks and tackles - focusing their time on evading the law? Well,
not exactly.
To being with, this is a first offense for Chambers: before Saturday, his professional
record was completely clean. He also - according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel -
passed a breathalyzer test while at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police station. While he certainly shouldn't have been doing any kind of drinking and driving, he can chalk his arrest up to a mistakeand NEVER do it again.
Fred Evans offense, a violent
crime, wasn't as benign, and this wasn't
overlooked by the Dolphin's coaching staff. In the aftermath of his arrest, Evans found
himself unemployed: Miami let him go. Cam Cameron, the head coach, released a statement saying, "We will not
condone this type of behavior. I
assure everyone it will be dealt with seriously." And seriously dealt with it was. Good for Cam for standing by his word, and his morals.
Joey Porter's arrest for hitting Levi Jones makes me think
that neither party was innocent. When you have
football players, packed with testosterone, and add the element of alcohol, these things will happen. Still, Porter is a bit of wild card and someone
Cameron should keep an eye on. Porter has not only spat
out accusations of cheating, (jokingly?) said he was going to give
George Bush a piece of his mind, uttered homosexual slurs, and been
voted one of the NFL's dirtiest players,
but he also owned two dogs who killed his neighbors miniature horse. How, exactly, does that kind of
thing happen?
Nonetheless, for now you can chalk Porter up to a talented player with a lot of passion (if not
too much) who likes to run his mouth, and sometimes
puts his foot in it. He's hardly the first NFL player to get in a fist fight and he won't be the last. Porter and Chamber
don't quite deserve to be labeled Bengals just
yet. As for Evans, well maybe Cincinnati has an opening.
Jennifer Jordan is a senior editor for
http://www.milleniumlimo.com. An avid sports fan, she likes the Miami Dolphins but her heart belongs to the Denver Broncos.