Do the Indianapolis Colts Have a Culture Problem?

On Wednesday morning, news broke that Indianapolis Colts linebacker D'Qwell Jackson had been arrested in Washington, D.C. for simple assault.

The report comes from ABC 7 News: 

"

Sources confirm Jackson was arrested and issued a citation for allegedly punching a pizza delivery driver in the face and in the back of the head over a parking spot.

The 31-year-old pizza delivery employee told police he said to Jackson that he was going to use the space momentarily, but Jackson allegedly got upset and told the driver to get the 'expletive' out of his parking space before punching the driver in his face and on the back of his head.

"

On its own, the report may not seem like much, especially when guys like Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Terrence Cody are getting busted for drugs, illegal possession of an alligator and animal cruelty.

Digging a little deeper, however, paints a darker picture for Jackson. 

According to the victim, who appeared on The Kent Sterling Show on CBS Sports 1430 in Indianapolis, Jackson tried to choke and kick him when he parked in Jackson's reserved parking spot at his condominium in Washington. Jackson reportedly then tried to pay him off so he would drop the charges.

Even if the incident is less serious than it sounds, the fact that there was one at all remains a problem for Indianapolis.

Everything in the NFL comes with a broader context, and this incident is just one of a growing pile of off-field issues the Colts have had in recent years. 

You have arrests, like Jackson's: 

• ILB Andrew Jackson (no relation) was arrested on Jan. 23, just two weeks ago, for drunk driving. 
• ILB Josh McNary was placed on the commissioner's exempt list as he was charged with rape, criminal confinement with bodily injury and battery resulting in bodily injury on Jan. 14. 
• WR Da'Rick Rogers was arrested for a DUI in September and was released by the team.
• S John Boyett was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, public intoxication and resisting law enforcement in September of 2013 and was released from the team. 
• S Joe Lefeged was arrested for carrying an unlicensed pistol after running from police after a traffic stop in June of 2013 and was released by the team in October. 

Six player arrests in roughly a year and a half, four of them since September. 

Per the U-T San Diego NFL player arrests database, the Colts have had 21 arrests over the last 10 seasons. Six of those (29 percent) have come in the last year and a half. 

And that's just player arrests. What about other off-field issues, like suspensions? 

The Colts have had eight suspensions since 2012, including seven in the last year and a half: 

• WR LaVon Brazill was suspended for the first four games of the 2013 season, and then was suspended for the entire 2014 season, both times for violating the PED/banned substance policy. 
• TE Weslye Saunders was suspended for eight games in 2013 for violating the PED/banned substance policy. 
• OLB Erik Walden was suspended for a game for head-butting an opponent in 2013. 
• OLB Robert Mathis was suspended for the first four games of the 2014 season for a PED violation. He then tore his Achilles while training on his own during the suspension and missed the entire season. 
• S LaRon Landry was suspended for four games in the middle of the 2014 season for violating the PED/banned substance policy.
• RB Trent Richardson was suspended by the Colts for two games for conduct detrimental to the team.

And that's just the official listings. 

Things like the release of CB Loucheiz Purifoy (due to in-house disciplinary issues like being in the passenger seat of Rogers' car during his DUI arrest, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star) or RB Chris Rainey (released for violating team rules, possibly involving a fire extinguisher) don't even count on lists like these. But they still add to the general perception that the Colts have issues behind the scenes.

It's not fun, writing about this kind of thing. 

But it can't be ignored any longer. The Colts' reputation is trending in the wrong direction, and fans are rightfully upset.

Back when it was just guys like Joe Lefeged, Weslye Saunders and LaVon Brazill, it was easier to look past this kind of incident.

When you have fringe roster players, undrafted free agents and backups having issues, you can release them soon after and wipe your hands of the situation, which is largely what the Colts have done, save for giving a few second chances (Saunders, Brazill, Purifoy). 

It's hard to look past defensive starters on $24 million contracts getting suspended for PEDs. It's hard to look past the Colts' best defender and pass-rusher, not to mention one of the icons of the franchise, getting suspended for PEDs.

It's harder to look past a key rotational player and former Army officer being charged with rape.

It's harder to look past a defensive captain, a player whose best trait is "veteran leadership," getting arrested for assaulting a pizza delivery guy because he parked in the wrong spot. 

Does that mean the Colts have a "culture problem" and that the locker room is full of thugs and cheaters? 

Probably not. 

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Chuck Pagano and Ryan Grigson have talked about wanting "faith, family and football" to be priorities for every player that comes through their door. Pagano's character is universally revered, and he is loved by his players and others around the league. The closeness of the team in the locker room and having a group of high-quality men who represent the "horseshoe" well has always been a priority of Grigson and the rest of the front office. 

There are plenty of great men in the Colts locker room.

Young guys like Dwayne Allen and T.Y. Hilton, who have come in, embraced the city of Indianapolis and made an impact on the community. Redeemed guys like Pat McAfee, who overcame a poor decision as a younger man to become one of the faces of the franchise, both on and off the field. Veteran guys like Reggie Wayne, revered for his character as well as his play.

Nobody, especially me, wants to diminish the good work that countless members of the Colts organization have done.

The Colts have historically reflected many of the Midwestern values the city of Indianapolis and and the state of Indiana represent, and it's a big reason why the Manning-led teams were so revered. It's a reason why Grigson and Pagano were embraced so quickly.

But the influx of suspensions and arrests contradicts that, and it starts at the top with Jim Irsay. 

All this talk and lists of issues and we haven't even mentioned Irsay's arrest and subsequent suspension over the 2014 offseason. I'm not going to speculate about why Irsay got pulled back into the deadly undercurrent of addiction. I don't have inside information on how Irsay's troubles were viewed among Colts players. I cannot add any more perspective to that particular incident than has already been analyzed and rehashed countless times.

But the effect of that incident was a black eye for Irsay and the organization. It was the catalyst for taking the Colts' off-field issues a little more seriously.

With the consistent stream of arrests and suspensions since, that black eye hasn't healed, but merely grown darker. 

The thing about black eyes is that they are noticeable. The rest of the body could be completely healthy, and a black eye will draw gossip and speculation. It's a small thing, maybe, but its effects are both far-reaching and lingering on one's image.

And that's the case for the Colts, unfortunately.

Do the Colts have a culture problem? 

I don't know.

What I do know is that the Colts have a problem exemplifying the culture they've preached as the franchise's identity, which alters perception.

Let it go on too long, and perception becomes reality.

Kyle Rodriguez is Bleacher Report's lead featured columnist for the Indianapolis Colts. He is also the editor-in-chief of Colts Authority and Colts Academy and a PFWA Dick Connor Writing Award recipient. Follow him on Twitter for year-round Colts and NFL analysis.