The 2012 NFL Offseason's Most Embarrassing Moments

The National Football League isn't immune to embarrassing offseason moments. In fact, it could just be that these players, coaches and team officials have too much time on their hands.

After all, a child that is busy will get into less trouble.

NFL players are by no means children, a great amount of them are less mature than you or me.

This is hard to argue against after a series of embarrassing moments from multiple individuals related to the NFL this offseason.

Today's article is going to focus on nine standouts of those moments.

9. Eric Wright Arrested on Felony DUI Charges

I don't blame a player for wanting to celebrate after he signs what promises to be the richest contract of his NFL career. Just a couple weeks after Eric Wright hit the jackpot with a ridiculous five-year, $37.5 million contract, he was making big news around the world of football once again.

This time it had nothing to do with the deal that the talented cornerback signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March.

Rather, Wright just became another in a long line of NFL players to be arrested in what is quickly turning out to be an embarrassing situation for the league as a whole.

Wright was arrested for suspicion of a DUI after reportedly injuring an innocent bystander in Southern California earlier this month.

According to the L.A. Times, there were felony DUI charges brought against the veteran defensive back. While the injured truck driver did refuse treatment, it is California law that enhancement charges be brought if an injury occurs during a DUI.

Simply put, this is one of the most selfish acts in which a human can partake. Wright is just lucky that those injuries weren't more serious and that he survived the crash himself.

8. Aldon Smith's Entire Offseason

In the lead-up to the 2011 NFL draft, certain scouts were calling Aldon Smith immature and saying he won't be able to make an immediate impact on the football field as a rookie.

We all know how that turned out, as Smith finished second in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, recording a San Francisco 49ers' rookie record 14 sacks.

This offseason has been quite a bit different for the talented pass-rusher.

Smith was arrested on DUI charges in late January, right before the offseason got going around the National Football League.

Making matters worst is this tweet that Smith sent out just a couple hours before he was arrested: “Does anybody sleep #Miami #oceanave #letsgo.”

This would have been bad enough, but Smith's disastrous offseason didn't end there. He was a victim of a stabbing at his home during a party earlier this month in Santa Clara.

ESPN.com filed this report shortly after the incident:

"

According to The Sacramento Bee, deputies from the Santa Clara County sheriff's office were called to a house party at about 2 a.m. on Saturday after receiving reports of gunshots. When police arrived, they found two people shot and another stabbed.

"

While there isn't much information on what exactly occurred there, you have to wonder if alcohol was once again the culprit here.

7. Robert Kraft Acts...Creepy

The New England Patriots apparently influenced YouTube, among every other Internet video site, to stop showing the video of Robert Kraft making an absolute fool of himself by looking like a creepy old man.

Kraft, one of the real good guys around the world of professional sports, was either trying to be funny with this parody or is just a horrible actor. Either way, it seemed to backfire a great deal.

In the audition video, Kraft can be heard spewing expletives in a raunchy manner, reading lines reserved for Owen Wilson in his upcoming film. Appearing with his "pal," an aspiring actress, Kraft pretty much made a complete fool of himself.

Kraft has since released this statement.

"

I tried to help Ricki prepare an audition tape for an upcoming Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson comedy by reading Wilson’s lines. I never intended that it would be made public and I regret that it has. I think we can all agree that Owen Wilson has nothing to worry about. I am going to stick to my day job.

"

Please do!

6. Dion Lewis Acting the Part of a Teenager

It is one thing to be a 16-year-old, getting drunk and destroying private property. I am pretty sure that a lot of us did some damn stupid things during our adolescence.

The issue as it relates to Dion Lewis is that the former Pitt star is a professional football player and should start acting the part of an adult.

He should also make sure to surround himself with better character individuals.

According to this report by Yahoo!, Lewis was arrested in Albany last Sunday on charges of falsely reporting a fire and reckless endangerment.

NFL.com had more information on the arrest shortly after it occurred: "Lewis and his older brother, Lamar Lewis, were arrested at 4:40 a.m. Sunday after allegedly banging on the locked glass doors at the Hampton Inn and then pulling the fire alarm."

It goes without saying that alcohol probably had something to do with this incident. Why else would Lewis and his brother be up at nearly five in the morning banging on glass doors and pulling fire alarms?

I got giggles out of doing that in school when I was 14. Maybe it is time you grow up.

5. Jim Irsay's Naked Photo Allegations

It isn't embarrassing if you do it in the privacy of your own home, but once a naked photo surfaces on the Internet, it takes on an entirely new feel.

This is magnified when that photo is of a 53-year-old white dude posing for his "mistress."

Jim Irsay may have found himself in this unflattering position when Internet reports indicated that the Indianapolis Colts owner was allegedly the man in front of the embedded photo.

Even if these photos are fake, which is a real possibility, this has to be embarrassing for the owner.

4. Alex Smith Calls out Cam Newton

Alex Smith did have a breakout 2011 campaign leading the San Francisco 49ers to the verge of the Super Bowl. This came after seasons of consistent struggles in what looked to be a career that would end with the "bust" label firmly attached to No. 11.

The 49ers are also preparing for a 2012 season in which they should be one of the top teams in the entire National Football League.

That being said, Smith must remain aware that one great season doesn't fix six subpar years by the bay. He needs to remain grounded and actually win a Super Bowl before he starts running his mouth. 

In an attempt to justify his rather pedestrian yard totals from last season, Smith thought it made sense to call out 2011 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Cam Newton.

"

I could absolutely care less on yards per game. I think that is a totally overblown stat because if you’re losing games in the second half, guess what, you’re like the Carolina Panthers and you’re going no-huddle the entire second half. Yeah, Cam Newton threw for a lot of 300-yard games. That’s great. You’re not winning, though.

"

Okay, I can see that argument. It really doesn't matter how you win as long as you get the "W." The 49ers did things much different last season. Additionally, no quarterback that has led the NFL in passing yards has gone on to win the Super Bowl that season.

But Cam Newton...really?

Smith might actually want to do some research before going to the airwaves and looking like a bitter quarterback.

Newton has a total of three 300-yard passing games, all in the first quarter of the 2011 season. While Carolina did lose all three of those games, what Newton did for that offense and team last year was nothing short of amazing.

They went from 32nd in the league in scoring in 2010 to fifth last season.

Carolina scored a total of 47 offensive touchdowns in 2011, compared to a paltry 16 the season before. Most importantly, the Panthers won three times more games with Newton at quarterback than they did the previous season. Find those statistics and more here.

Next time Smith wants to make a point, he might not want to pick on the quarterback that won more games in his rookie year than Smith has won in four of his six NFL seasons.

For his part, Smith has since recanted these statements.

3. The Detroit Lions

Let's take a look at the incidents that some Detroit Lions have been involved in this offseason. 

Second-year running back Mikel Leshoure now has two more arrests under his belt than yards in the National Football League. The talented former second-round pick has been arrested twice on marijuana possession, each less than a month apart.

I am not going to sit here and get down on people that use marijuana on a recreational basis, but that is a debate for another time on a vehicle other than Bleacher Report.

That being said, his second arrest showed a pattern of usage that has a direct impact on his standing in the National Football League and the Detroit Lions. As it stands, the league suspended him for the first two games of the 2012 season.

Defensive tackle Nick Fairley has also been arrested twice this offseason. He was first stopped in Mobile, Ala., on marijuana possession in April, then again on DUI-related charges, as well as attempting to elude police less than two months later. 

Apparently, Fairley was too intoxicated when his mugshot was taken shortly after the incident to fully understand the gravity of the situation. It seems more like he was getting ready for his senior prom. 

Aaron Berry, who is currently battling for a starting job, was arrested late last month on DUI charges, adding yet another incident to an offseason filled with them in Detroit.

This has to be extremely disappointing for a franchise coming off their best season in nearly 20 years. It certainly shows a lack of discipline within the organization, but more importantly, this needs to change before it becomes a larger trend.

2. Justin Blackmon Blows Three Times the Legal Limit

The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up for Justin Blackmon in the first round of April's draft in order to give Blaine Gabbert a truly talented wide receiver on the outside.

He reciprocated by getting arrested on aggravated DUI charges less than two months after being drafted. Reports indicate that the Oklahoma State product blew a .24, which is three times the legal limit in the state of Oklahoma.

Imagine that for a second.

Logic would suggest that Blackmon wasn't only drinking heavily, but he was intoxicated beyond the point of actually realizing what he was doing that night. Luckily, no one was injured in the situation.

Still, one has to wonder what the hell the young receiver was thinking when he made the decision to not only drink that much in one night—it easily could have led to alcohol poisoning—but what was actually going through his head when he got in the car that early morning in Stillwater?

As selfish of an act as this was, it's embarrassing for a multitude of reasons.

1. T.O. Makes an Appearance on Dr. Phil

I don't know if this is embarrassing or just sad, but I do have to say that I felt bad for Terrell Owens when he appeared on Dr. Phil this spring.

The controversial free-agent wide receiver, who last played for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010, took to that show in order to dispel the notion that he was a deadbeat father who didn't pay child support and had no relationship with any of his children.

Seeing Owens there, vulnerable to the onslaught of ex-lovers and Dr. Phil himself, had to make you feel bad for the enigmatic receiver.

That being said, the old adage goes, "You made your bed, now lie in it." Owens didn't take into account the results that would come with years of philandering.

Like a lot of athletes in the United States and around the globe, he simply believed that the normal rules didn't apply to him.

Now that Owens is down and out and broke by the standards of professional athletes, he wanted to clear the air.

Instead, Owens came off looking like a weak athlete who had made a tremendous amount of financial and personal mistakes in his life.