Rolando McClain: Risking NFL Future for No Reason

Second-year linebacker Rolando McClain of the Oakland Raiders is out on bail after having been arrested in his Alabama hometown on Thursday. 

As reported by the Decatur Daily, McClain was charged with third-degree assault, menacing, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm inside city limits, which are all misdemeanors.

McClain is one of the more promising young defenders in the NFL.  The Alabama product is the Raiders' second-leading tackler and might even develop into a Pro Bowler given a couple more years of seasoning.

Although McClain is unlikely to face jail time even if convicted, his behavior raises serious questions about his maturity and commitment to his NFL career. 

Bruce Jones, a former teacher of both McClain and the victim of the alleged assault, Christian Tapscott, commented that McClain “can’t continue to do what he’s doing."

Thursday's incident wasn't McClain's first.  He had allegedly been involved in previous bad situations, including deliberately running into another man’s car in Tuscaloosa, and having his own car shot at earlier this year.

McClain and Tapscott have been friends since childhood, along with Jarodiaus Willingham, who was also charged with assaulting Tapscott. 

The alleged assaults stemmed from a variety minor quarrels between the three men that escalated when both Tapscott and McClain allegedly brought weapons into play—a box cutter and gun, respectively.

Based on Tapscott’s account, the entire thing sounds like a minor scuffle that got out of hand because of the foolish decision to involve weapons. 

That mistake would be dumb enough between any random group of young men, but it’s catastrophically stupid for McClain, with a lucrative NFL career on the line.

Whether or not McClain is convicted of any of the criminal charges, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Roger Goodell suspend him for a game or two under the personal conduct policy. 

The young linebacker needs to realize that if he’s not willing to behave like an adult who respects the game that’s paying him millions of dollars, there are plenty of other players out there who will be happy to take his job.