Patriots Best Served Using No-Nonsense Approach with Brandon Spikes, Others

Brandon Spikes appears to be in trouble. No charges have been filed against the veteran linebacker, but Massachusetts police at 3:30 a.m. Sunday found his damaged Mercedes abandoned on a highway median, not far from where a hit-and-run sent three people to the hospital. 

Plus, a state trooper told Boston.com that charges are likely pending, and the scenario is discouraging enough that nobody should blame the New England Patriots for releasing Spikes immediately. 

This really is quite simple.

Staunch Spikes supporters—few and far between as they are—could and likely will argue that it isn't fair for New England to fire a man before his right to due process is met. And yes, those defending recent trouble-finders Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, Ray McDonald and Greg Hardy have similar cases. 

But this isn't a court of law, and the Patriots—hell, the NFL as a whole—suffer from an image problem. Right now, with the Pats facing yet another rules-related controversy in Deflategate, the team was forced to choose between two evils:

1. Keep Spikes—a likely backup whose salary guaranteed him only $25,000—on the roster, giving even more ammunition to the critics who have in recent weeks, months and years bashed it for operating in arrogant fashion. 

2. Cut Spikes—a one-dimensional run-stopper on a one-year contract worth only $1.1 million anyway—in order to show the football world that it's operating with a zero-tolerance policy. You lose a decent player for now, and take a hit in the minds of those who feel Spikes should remain employed until proven guilty. 

The negative buzz surrounding option No. 1 greatly outweighs the negative buzz created by choosing option No. 2, which is why the Patriots have done the right thing here. They've chosen the lesser of two evils, and it's not as though Spikes is getting a terrible deal. He isn't being fired for cause, per se, and he'll be free to collect that guaranteed cash while pursuing other options. 

The Patriots can't fully avoid another controversy here, but they're limiting the damage in the best way possible. And if indeed Spikes is cleared of any wrongdoing, it's not as though the two sides can't strike a new deal. There's no room for hard feelings in this business, and Spikes—who lingered on the free-agent market for over two months before catching on in New England—should be well aware of that. 

Last month, the Pats were docked two draft picks and $1 million and their quarterback, Tom Brady, was suspended four games after an investigation determined that the team and quarterback had violated competitive rules and/or committed "conduct detrimental to the integrity of the NFL" by deliberately deflating footballs used in a January playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts. 

That incident has no relation to this one, but critics will still lump the two together. And it's not as though Patriots players have been poster boys for personal conduct during the Bill Belichick era. 

In 2011, wide receiver Julian Edelman was arrested on charges of indecent assault and battery after an incident in a Boston nightclub (charges were later dropped). And in 2013, cornerback Alfonzo Dennard was convicted of felony assault on a police officer and had a DUI charge against him dismissed as part of a plea deal. Dennard wasn't released until this past May. 

And then, of course, there's Aaron Hernandez, who in April was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Hernandez, who starred at tight end for New England from 2010 to 2012, also faces two murder charges resulting from an incident outside a Boston nightclub in 2012. 

Year	In trouble	For	Result
2015	Tom Brady	Deflategate	4-game suspension being appealed
2015	Team	Deflategate	Docked 2 draft picks, $1 million
2014	Aaron Hernandez	Double homicide	To be determined
2013	Alfonzo Dennard	DUI suspicion	Pleaded no contest
2013	Aaron Hernandez	Homicide	Life in prison
2012	Alfonzo Dennard	Felony assault	30 days in jail
2011	Julian Edelman	Assault/battery	Charges dropped
2010	Bret Lockett	Disorderly conduct	Charges dropped
2008	Willie Andrews	Weapons	Charges dismissed
2008	Nick Kaczur	Painkillers	Guilty of speeding after deal
2008	Kevin Faulk	Marijuana	Suspended 5-month jail sentence
2008	Willie Andrews	Marijuana	Probation
2007	Team	Spygate	1st-round pick, $750,000 in fines

In New England's defense, the team released Hernandez immediately after his June 2013 arrest for the murder of Odin Lloyd. But as former team adviser Floyd Reese told the MMQB in April, the Pats were fully aware that Hernandez had bad-apple tendencies when they drafted him: 

"

We knew he had some issues prior. [Former Florida coach] Urban Meyer and Bill [Belichick] were very, very close, and I think Urban convinced Bill that, you know, that these things weren't going to be an issue. When we structured his first contract, his rookie contract, we probably had 75 percent of the money in the contract set up so that he would only make it if he stayed out of trouble, didn't miss meetings, was always there doing the right thing. And for the period of the original contract, he lived up to every bit of it. So it turned out well. Of course, after that, after he signed [his $40 million contract extension], things kind of went awry.

"

The Patriots have so much baggage—from Hernandez and Deflategate to incidents like Spygate and the problems encountered by Edelman and Dennard—that keeping Spikes wasn't worth the headache. 

For a team that stresses discipline and personal accountability, this was a no-brainer.

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon