The Roar
The Roar

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Deflating balls is nothing compared to the NFL's previous misdemeanours

Tom Brady was an absolute steal in the draft. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Expert
13th May, 2015
8

Over the last decade the NFL has continued to make headlines because it has been forced to suspend players and coaches and fine teams.

For an organisation that tries to cultivate an image of being upright, honest and trustworthy, there is a very dark side to the NFL.

This list does not take into account the recent conviction of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez on murder charges and a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Here is a list of recent actions that come hot on the heels of Tom Brady’s four-game suspension, the New England Patriots’ $1 million dollar fine and the loss of two draft choices, including their number-one pick in 2016.

If you are wondering why the league seemingly came down so hard on the Patriots’ star quarterback, it is the perception that the NFL has morphed itself into some outlaw professional league that is on the surface to many observers seemingly out of control.

Image is everything to many and the NFL’s corporate business-like perception has taken a pounding. The suspension of Brady and the fine imposed on the Pats along with the loss of draft choices has sent shockwaves and a warning to other teams in the NFL.

1. Adrian Peterson
In 2014 Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was initially deactivated on the commissioner’s exempt list then suspended indefinitely after being charged with child endangerment for spanking his then four-year-old son.

Photos surfaced that showed welts, bruising and injuries that were the result of the young boy being whipped with a switch. Peterson has been reinstated by the league but his future is uncertain with the Vikings.

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2. Ray Rice
In 2014, the ex-Baltimore Ravens running back was initially suspended two games for a domestic abuse issue in which he struck his fiancee in a hotel elevator. When video surfaced of Rice striking the woman and knocking her down, the suspension was overturned and Rice sat out the entire 2014 season and he has yet to sign with a new team.

3. Ben Roethlisberger
In 2010 the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback was accused of sexual assault by a college student. There was an out of court settlement, and the charges against Roethlisberger were dropped. However, the Steelers’ quarterback served a four-game suspension by the league. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell determined that Roethlisberger’s conduct violated the league’s conduct policy.

4. Coach Sean Payton and linebacker Jonathan Vilma
In 2012, Payton and Vilma were among a number of New Orleans Saints suspended for parts or all of the 2012 season for their roles in the bounty scandal. The Saints defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, rewarded players for big and potentially injurious hits was also suspended for the entire season.

5. Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones
In 2007, NFL defensive back Adam Jones missed the entire 2007 season for violating the NFL’s player conduct policy. Jones had been involved in a number of serious off-field issues, including a shooting in Las Vegas during NBA All-Star weekend that wounded three people and one person partially paralyzed.

While a member of the Cowboys, Jones was suspended again for six games in 2008 after a fight with a bodyguard. In 2014, Jones played for the Cincinnati Bengals.

6. Tank Johnson
In 2007 the former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson was suspended for the first eight games of the season after violating his probation on previous gun charges. Authorities found six unregistered firearms that were confiscated during a raid at his Chicago home in December 2006, a few weeks before the Bears were to play in the Super Bowl.

7. Jim Irsay
In March 2014, the Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was suspended six games and fined $500,000 after pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated following his arrest in which he was reportedly in possession of a controlled substance.

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8. Travis Henry
In 2008, former Denver Broncos running back Travis Henry was suspended the entire season for violating the league’s substance policy. Henry ended up serving 29 months in prison before his release in late 2011 for financing a cocaine trafficking operation.

9. Greg Hardy
In 2014 ex-Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy was placed on the commissioner’s roster exempt list for 15 games, as his domestic abuse case continued to be resolved in the North Carolina court system. Hardy eventually ended up signing with the Dallas Cowboys in the off-season and now he will miss the Cowboys first ten games of 2015 because of the incident.

10. Josh Gordon
The talented former Cleveland Browns wide receiver has been plagued with trouble in the NFL ever since his rookie season. Gordon missed the first two games of the 2013 season and then the first 11 of 2014 because of violations of the substance abuse policy.

Gordon has now been suspended indefinitely after violating the substance abuse policy at the end of the 2014 season.

11. Josh Brent
The recently retired former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Brent received a ten-game suspension for a conviction of intoxication manslaughter following a December 2012 car accident that resulted in the death of teammate Jerry Brown.

12. Justin Blackmon
A former number-one round draft choice, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon has missed 28 games, including all of the 2014 season, because of substance-abuse violations. It is yet to be determined if the highly touted Blackmon will be allowed to sign and play in 2015.

13. Brandon Browner
The former Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots defensive back Brandon Browner has struggled with drug-related suspensions the past three seasons. Browner, a talented corner back, missed four games each in 2012 and 2014. Because of his drug suspensions, Browner was not in uniform when Seattle defeated the Denver Broncos two years ago.

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14. Albert Haynesworth
The ex-Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth was suspended for five games in 2006 after he kicked and stomped on the head of Cowboys offensive lineman Andre Gurode.

15. Ndamukong Suh
In 2011, the former Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was suspended for two games after stomping on Green BayPackers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith during a Thanksgiving Day game. In the off-season, the Dolphins signed a $114 million, six-year deal with Suh to play for Miami.

16. Michael Vick
The ex-Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick spent 23 months in a federal prison after pleading guilty to dogfighting charges in 2007. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2009 season after signing with the Philadelphia Eagles. Vick is currently on the roster of the New York Jets.

17. Daryl Washington
The Arizona Cardinals outstanding linebacker Daryl Washington has twice been suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, including all of the 2014 campaign.

18. Donte Stallworth
The former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Donte Stallworth only served 30 days in jail in 2009 after accepting a DUI manslaughter plea deal for striking and killing a pedestrian. Stallworth was suspended for the entire 2009 season.

Taking air out of footballs hardly compares to manslaughter, beating up women, whipping children and various domestic violence charges, along with putting a bounty on injuring opposing players and rampant drug abuse.

Nevertheless, Tom Brady has become the lightning rod for a corporation that overreacts, under-reacts, looks the other way, or seemingly is always on the verge of being out of control despite trying to craft and cultivate an image of America’s most popular sport.

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