Eric Wright's DUI Arrest Proves He Wasn't Worth Risk Buccaneers Took on Him

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a $37.5 million gamble on cornerback Eric Wright this offseason, and he's already proving himself not worthy of that risk.

On Monday, Wright was arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence after he was involved in an accident in Los Angeles. Wright was not hurt, but it was categorized as an "injury accident," which is why it is classified as a felony.

The 26-year-old, who refused to submit to a breathalyzer or field sobriety test, told police he had been drinking at a friend's house. 

Out of high school, Wright attended USC and became a starter on the Trojans' 2004-05 BCS Championship team before being forced to transfer to UNLV after an arrest on suspicion of rape. Police later found 136 pills of ecstasy in his apartment. Charges were never filed because of a lack of evidence, but clearly Wright had some off-field issues. 

During Tampa Bay's wild offseason spending spree, the team attempted to shore up its secondary by luring Wright south. He spent last season with the Detroit Lions, starting all 16 games and recording 74 tackles and four interceptions. But he has shown a tendency to get beaten with regularity, and he wasn't worth the five-year, $37.5 million ($15.5 million guaranteed) contract the Bucs gave him.

If Wright was a high-character guy, maybe he would have been deserving of a big contract. Clearly that's not the case. The Bucs took a huge gamble by investing in Wright, and they had better hope he gets his act together. 

Tampa Bay already has one character problem in its secondary in Aqib Talib. Wright has only added to those issues and certainly wasn't worth a big contract.