NFL: Once Again, Jets WR Santonio Holmes in the Midst of Controversy

Regardless whether the team wins or loses from week to week, the New York Jets still manage to find a way to make headlines.

Let us not even touch any further on the Brett Favre drama, at least for now.

But the latest out of Jets camp is a new controversy surrounding number one wide receiver Santonio Holmes.

This time, there is no smoking pot or throwing drinks involved. 

As anyone reading this site has to know by now, former NFL agent Josh Luchs has broken a expose story to Sports Illustrated regarding how NFL agents typically recruit players out of college.

Needless to say, paying players, while they are still in college, in order to get them to sign with a particular agent is a regular practice that has gone on for decades.

However, not so obvious is the fact that Luchs named 30 NFL players, both current and retired, whom he actually paid while they were in college.

Out of the players named, eight confirmed they received benefits, seven confirmed that knew Luchs, but nothing else, and five players denied at least part of Luchs claims.

Everyone else declined comment, except for the four players Luchs mentioned that are deceased.

With all that being said, how do the Jets and Santonio Holmes come into play here?

At one point, Luchs claims that he and then fellow agent Steve Feldman flew to Ohio in November of 2005 to meet the premiere Ohio State receiver Santonio Holmes.

Holmes allegedly said that "Listen, I want to save you the time. We don't need to meet. I've been taking money from [an agent] the last couple years, and he's been taking care of my family too."

ESPN then followed up on Luchs’ claim regarding Holmes by contacting Feldman.  Feldman concurred with Luchs’ version of the story.

Now, even if this story could be confirmed, let us realize that it would do little besides further tarnish Holmes’ reputation off the field.

But still, it seems like not a week goes by without the Jets being in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. 

To make matters worse for Holmes, Luchs claims he also met with current Jet Dustin Keller while he was in college, but he refused any form of compensation, even when it meant Keller paying for the flights to visit Luchs.

Also, if it was not clear yet, let it be known that Holmes vehemently denied the allegations made by Luchs.  No current NFL player confirmed what Luchs said.

The hardest pill to swallow in all this for Santonio Holmes is that he will be hard pressed to find fans that believe what he is saying here, due to the character issues he has had in the past.

The only reason Holmes is on the Jets right now is because the Steelers were practically giving away the 2009 Super Bowl MVP, as all they received was a measly fifth round pick for compensation.

If they were willing to make a trade that appears so lopsided, obviously Pittsburgh had a problem with Santonio Holmes the person, not Santonio Holmes the player.

This is the second negative incident regarding Holmes with just five games with New York, as he just came back from a four game suspension following a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse story.

Granted, the suspension was expected prior to his trade. 

While there is no one who can confirm that Holmes is actually guilty here, besides Holmes himself, it would seem that he is a talented player he needs to clean his act up soon.

While the Jets are tolerant of colorful personalities in the locker room, Holmes could find himself looking for a new squad again next season if he continues to be portrayed, or make himself look like, a bad guy.

Holmes is a young, immensely talented player with a bright future ahead of him on the field.  It would be a shame if his career was cut short because of his actions off the field.