5 NFL Players with the Most off-Field Drama in 2011

Each year the NFL season provides fans with tons of entertainment, parity and surprises, as well as a fair share of on-field drama.  

Unfortunately, one other thing the NFL has managed to consistently provide, especially over the past few years, is a decent amount of drama off the field.

From contract negotiations to assaults, guns, fast mouths, dogs, DUIs and drugs, the NFL has had to deal with it all.

Here are five players who have created their own off-field drama this season. 

Rolando McClain: Guns

Of all the players who have experienced off-field drama this season, Rolando McClain may have made the worst decision out of the bunch, while managing to get off with the lightest penalty.

A second-year linebacker for the Oakland Raiders, McClain was arrested last Thursday in his hometown of Decatur, Ala. on four misdemeanor charges.

According to allegations, McClain held a gun next to a man's head during an altercation and fired off a round beside the man's ear.

No one was shot, but after being released on $2,000 bond, McClain faces assault, firearms, reckless endangerment and menacing charges.

However, amidst an immense amount of criticism, McClain was allowed to play this week in the Raiders game against Miami. Oakland's coach, Hue Jackson, decided after speaking with McClain that he would deal with the issue in-house.

The Raiders' leading tackler this season, McClain typically does not miss a down.  After entering the game on the team's third snap, McClain tallied eight tackles in Sunday's game.

Chris Cook: Assault

Back on Saturday, Oct. 22, Minnesota Vikings' starting cornerback Chris Cook was arrested on domestic battery charges following a late-night altercation with his girlfriend.

The arrest led to Cook missing the Vikings' game that Sunday at home against the Green Bay Packers.

At the time, the Vikings suspended Cook for two weeks without pay.  Reinstated by the team following the two weeks, Cook has yet to rejoin the team as he deals with the legal issues.

Through the entire process Cook has maintained his innocence, claiming self-defense, which is why he is planning on contesting his two felony charges of domestic assault by strangulation and third-degree assault.

It is not likely that Cook will step on the field again this season as his next hearing is not until Jan. 13.

This is not the first of Cooks' off-field issues this season; back in March, Cook was accused of pulling a gun on his neighbor, but was found not guilty due to lack of evidence. 

Peyton Hillis: Contract

Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis' had an excellent season in 2011, rushing for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns, landing him on the cover of Madden '12.

Unfortunately, this season it seems that Hillis has become the most recent victim of the "Madden Curse."

The "Madden Curse" refers to the unusually large percentage of players featured on the Madden cover who have suffered a substantial drop in their performance and/or injury during the season which they are placed on the cover.

In the midst of a contract negotiation with the Browns, Hillis has had a number of off-field issues to go along with his on-field problems.

Although Hillis' recent hamstring injury, which caused him to miss a few games in November, appeared to be legit, Hillis' prior issues this season have been up for debate. Team officials, teammates and fans all share speculation that they may be, at least partially, in light of the running back's contract dispute with the Browns.

Hillis' behavior has been in question ever since the season began, but recently teammates have outwardly expressed their dismay regarding the running back.

Failing to reach a contract agreement with Cleveland before the season started, Hillis' off-field drama began in Week 3 when he opted out of playing in the team's game against Miami with an apparent case of strep throat. Many alluded to the contract being the driving force behind the decision.

Hillis then was criticized a few weeks later for missing a Halloween appearance at the local Boys and Girls Club, which he attributed to not receiving the correct information.

Hillis has since missed team meetings, been seen screwing around on the field during warmups of games in which he was ruled inactive due to injury, along with skipping a critical Tuesday rehab session in order to go get married. 

In this article, a veteran member of the Browns' acknowledged the change in Hillis' attitude and team had this to say:

"

Last year, Peyton was such a positive, inspirational force on our team—but now he's like a different guy. It's like he's in a funk that he can't get out of, and it's killing us, because we really need him. And we've told him that. But we're at the point where we just don't know what to do.

"

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out for Hillis, but at the rate he is going the Browns may let the running back go to free agency.

Erik Walden: Assault

Between the Packers' Week 12 and Week 13 games, linebacker Erik Walden was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend during an argument and spent the weekend in jail.  

With no formal charges filed and an investigation pending, Walden, who has started every game this year, has not been punished by the team and was allowed to play this week against the Giants.    

Walden has expressed his apologies and has an upcoming court date on Dec. 7. 

Fred Davis/Trent Williams: Drugs

In the most recent of NFL off-field drama, the Washington Redskins took a double hit.  

The Redskins' starting left tackle Trent Williams and tight end Fred Davis are both expected to be suspended by the NFL for the duration of the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

The players have not been notified yet, but both of these guys have failed drug tests in the past due to marijuana use, warranting the upcoming four game suspensions.