So, Braylon Edwards went out and had a great game against the Patriots (aside from that completely moronic taunting that drew a penalty), and then promptly flushes all of that good will down the toilet by getting pulled over by the cops at 5 AM in the morning (as I recall) and being twice over the legal drinking limit, garnering him a DUI.
For one thing, let’s all be grateful that he was pulled over before something really tragic happened.
But also, it just is really astonishing (and in a very bad way, extremely gratifying) that he so spectacularly screwed up — “dropped the ball,” so to speak. Let’s review:
1) Everyone knows that the NFL has a program in place for players to call a car service if they’ve been out drinking. This is a very cool thing and is getting to be more well-known outside of NFL circles, so the fact that Braylon didn’t think about it is sad.
2) What’s even sadder is that he should remember what happened when he was out drinking with Donte Stallworth, who was driving while drunk and accidentally hit and killed a man.
3) As I recall, Braylon just recently got off off probation for his punching of LeBron James’ friend outside of a Cleveland bar. You’d think he’d be a bit more mindful about his behavior.
So now, the real question is just how much has he damaged his career? And, of course, how much of this will he blame on his days in Cleveland? After all, all of the previous issues he had while playing as a Brown was (according to him) entirely the fault of the Michigan-hating fans of Cleveland, so I’m sure he’ll figure out some way to pin it on Cleveland. Oh, and incidentally, I wonder if that reporter who did that extensive interview with him will follow up on how Braylon has really changed his ways since coming to the Jets….
But, back to the career thing:
So now he has a court date coming up for a DUI, with certainly probation but also quite possibly some jail time, or at least house arrest. No telling what the NFL will do, but I’m betting that a suspension is coming up, given that he’s already been in trouble with the law once. This is a contract year for him, and currently the feeling is that the Jets are going to let him walk. After all, he’s proven that his days in Cleveland weren’t just because of the team — he continues to have flashes of brilliance, stretches of mediocrity, and stunning drops, not too mention his off-the-field issues.
This isn’t to say that he won’t get a shot somewhere else — certainly the Bengals and Cowboys have been know to take in troubled players if they think it’ll help. And it’s possible that Braylon turns into a stud receiver for the rest of the games that he plays.
But, like so many passes that have come his way, he may have just let a promising career slip through his fingers.