By Stephen F. Holder, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
If it feels like you've seen this headline before, that's because you have.
Yes, another Tampa Bay Buccaneer was arrested on Monday. This time, it was defensive end Alex Magee, who was cited by Tampa police after an officer allegedly found a small amount of marijauna in Magee's car during a traffic stop.
We're not going to get preachy here, because this is far from the most egregious offense an NFL player has been accused of. But what's important here is the context. The Bucs are under tremendous pressure to erase the appearance that theirs is a team with a discipline problem.
The questions are more than fair. This is the fourth member of the organization arrested since March, beginning with pro scouting coordinator Shelton Quarles (DUI), cornerback Aqib Talib (aggravated assault with a deadly weapon) and coaching assistant Jay Kaiser (DUI). Combined with a series of arrests and troubles last year that include the felony drug arrest of former tight end Jerramy Stevens and the one-year drug suspension of safety Tanard Jackson, and it's not hard to see where the reputation comes from.
The point is, this was a very bad time for Magee -- a promising but still marginal player -- to have this happen. To say that people associated with the franchise are going to be on a short leashes probably goes without saying. Will Magee be cut once the lockout is lifted and NFL teams can resume making roster moves? Well, that's far from a given.
But don't be surprised if the Bucs, at some point, start cracking down in a more public fashion. They know fans are watching. And, more important, so is commissioner Roger Goodell.