Call by Detroit Columnist to Cut Fairley & LeShoure Is About Image, Not Football

While I was doing the NFC North link roundup this morning, I came across an interesting piece by Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press.

You should definitely read it for yourself, but the gist is that the Lions should not let Mikel LeShoure and Nick Fairley walk away from their drug arrests with a slap on the wrist.

Indeed, he feels they should let them walk away permanently by cutting them.

Says Sharp:

"

They can't chance Fairley and Leshoure becoming Charles Rogers 2.0, unquestioned talent tilting toward self-destruction. And as we learned from the former wide receiver's implosion into a haze of abusive, reckless behavior, you can't stop somebody hell-bent on ruining his life. You can't trust that they eventually will learn that the first stumble could be justified as a mistake, but the subsequent stumbles are willingly made choices.

"

I get what he's saying. The last year has seen a great resurgence in Lions football marred by one stupid or foolish act after another, dating back to Ndamukong Suh's foot stomp.

It has to be frustrating to finally have a team on the right track but have the success overshadowed by bad headlines.

Mind you, Sharp (or really the media) contribute to that. I guarantee there are plenty of players doing charity work in the off-season that we don't hear about. That doesn't sell newspapers like Nick Fairley's mug shot though.

I digress.

I understand the frustration and even the fear that, as Sharp says, one or both of these guys are a "ticking time bomb."

I understand it and yet, I can't disagree more with Sharp's solution. First of all, I'm going to have to disagree with him regarding how serious this is. It's not a jaywalking ticket, no. However, they didn't run over a meter maid, either.

Yes, pot is illegal. Yes, it is also used more often than anyone realizes by athletes. Yes, it is still illegal.

That said, where does it end, Mr. Sharp? Are you going to advocate cutting players who get pulled over while drunk driving? Surely, that is a greater concern than possession of enough pot for a joint. After all, while alcohol is legal, driving drunk is not, and it's terribly dangerous to get behind the wheel of a heavy steel vehicle while inebriated.

Where do you draw the line?

Let's also think about the idea of a team. Now, LeShoure and Fairley let down their teams no doubt, risking suspension and worse. However, if a team functions like a family, or tight group of friends, do you dump a friend with a problem if you are truly worried about them?

Sure, the Lions should talk to both players, let them know this is unacceptable and then get them help—not throw them out the door. That's just foolish, and it isn't helping them and it's wasting resources the team has. Also, it's irresponsible to turn your back on these guys if you believe they have a problem.

Heck, in many industries you can't fire someone without first helping him get to rehab, unless you feel like fighting a lawsuit.

I don't think this is about protecting the team from another Charles Rogers on the field. I think this is about protecting the Lions from another Charles Rogers in the newspapers.

Let me put it point blank—it looks like Sharp is far more worried about the reputation of the team than its players and what might happen on the field. It sounds like he doesn't want to write about the bad things anymore and is embarrassed (as many fans are) by the events of this last week.

I don't mean to downplay the seriousness of the arrests. They are issues and they need to be dealt with.

Cutting Fairley and LeShoure? That'd just be about protecting the image, not about the product on the field.