How are these guys not on the Bengals?

According to a December article in the Washington Post approximately 35 NFL players were arrested over the previous 12 months – since then there has been at least one more arrest of a Bengal, which means that the Bengals which account for 3.125 percent of the active players in the league account for approximately 25 percent of the arrests.

I would like to propose a rule change: Any player arrested for a felony offense, or on drug charges is to immediately be traded to the Bengals for a player of equal value for tracking purposes. Once there are no players left of equal value without criminal records, then the Raiders will become the new repository for said players.

The following are the folks that I can’t believe that the Bengals personnel office missed on (and these are just the ones I can remember), keeping in mind that some have been acquitted and some are still facing their day in court –

Offense -

Ruben Droughns, RB Browns – Arrested in May 2006 on one count of assault and two counts of harassment. Also acquitted of earlier drunk driving infraction.

Michael Vick, QB Falcons – Repeated links to marijuana including the recent fiasco at a Miami airport when Vick refused to surrender a water bottle to homeland security officials. Also, has a known alias (Ron Mexico) that is linked to a sex-related civil suit.

Koren Robinson, WR Vikings/Packers - Released during training camp after being arrested on charges of drunken driving and fleeing from police.

Randy Moss, WR Raiders – Past links to marijuana use and resisting arrest. Currently doing everything in his power to get traded including yell and swear at his new head coach.

Ricky Williams, RB Dolphins – Drug issues.

Defense -

Joe Cullen, Asst Coach D Line, Lions – Arrested twice during 2006. In August for an alleged indecent and obscene conduct issue at a fast food drive-in. The second at the beginning of September was for alleged drunk driving

Terrence Kiel, S Chargers - arrested by Drug Enforcement Administration agents at the team's practice facility in September on charges of transporting and possessing a controlled substance.

Steve Foley, LB Chargers - Shot and wounded by an off-duty police officer after a high speed chase for which Foley was charged with drunken driving.

Dwight Smith, S Vikings - Cited by Minneapolis police for indecent conduct in a stairwell outside a downtown nightclub with an unnamed woman.

Sean Taylor, S Redskins – As of last January was facing three counts of aggravated assault and potentially faced up to 46 years in prison. Also has had an issue with spitting on other players.

Adam “Pacman” Jones, CB Titans – Arrested for assault for spitting on a woman at a nightclub in October. Also had a previous run in for which he was charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct.

Ricky Manning Jr, CB Bears - Arrested was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon in April.

Tank Johnson, DT Bears – Arrested several times over the last couple of season for a variety of offenses including felony gun charges, six misdemeanor counts of unlawful possession of a weapon without a Firearm Owner's Identification card and aggravated assault and resisting arrest.

Arrested Development

Marvin Lewis has gotta hate his job right about now.

During Lewis's tenure as head coach of the Queen City's football franchise approximately 20 percent of his players have displayed a preference for prison stripes to those of the majestic Tiger for which the team is named. I only bring this up because it has been reported that cornerback and first round draft pick from last year Jonathan Joseph has been arrested on drug charges, adding him to eight others that have been arrested in the last twelve months, and at least the tenth in the last two and a half years.
According to the AP report, Coach Lewis stated "We've tried to allow guys to both mature as men and mature as players. But the thing we continue to find is they've got to be constantly coached, policed and corrected so that at times of adversity, we can do the right things."
Considering that most of these guys had well documented problems in college that made it to the local press, there really is no excuse for Lewis to be easy on these guys (another statement he made to the press). Can he be watching over them 24/7? No. But he certainly doesn't have to be playing them, and it is within the team's purview the fine the buggers for this sort of behavior.
In the regular season the roster has 53 players, 47 of whom are active on Sunday. Ten arrested is then over 21 percent of the active roster.

I would call the following a roll call, but rap sheet seems more appropriate (keeping in mind, I am only listing arrests, not convictions);

Justin Smith, DE, 1st Round - DUI 10/2004
*Odell Thurman, LB, 2nd Round - DUI 9/2006
Erich Steinbach, G, 2nd Round - Boating under the influence 8/2006
Matthias Askew, DT, 4th Round - Resisting arrest 8/2006 - release did nothing to send a message to other Bengals trouble children.
Deltha O'Neal, CB, DUI 12/2006
AJ Nicholson, LB, 5th Round - Burgalury, grand theft 6/2006
Frostee Rucker, DE, 3rd Round - Spousal Battery, vandalism 6/2006
*Reggie McNeal, WR, 6th Round - Resisting Arrest, drug charges 12/2006

The last is a one man rap sheet...the following is just a sample as Henry has been arrested four times since the end of/late in 2005...
*Chis Henry, WR, 3rd Round -
12/2005 - pulled over in Northern Kentucky for speeding and marijuana was found in his shoes. He was also driving without a valid driver's license, and without auto insurance.
1/2006, he was arrested in Orlando for multiple gun charges including concealment and aggravated assault with a firearm. He was reported to have been wearing his Number 15 Bengals jersey at the time of his arrest. Henry pleaded guilty to in both cases and avoided jail time in both cases.
Cincinnati media reported in 5/2006, that Henry is being investigated by Covington police in connection with a sex crime, which allegedly occurred in a hotel room in Covington, Kentucky early on April 30, 2006. No charges have yet been filed, and on May 24, 2006, Covington police reported that there is no proof anything happened and that the alleged victim might now face charges for filing a false police report.

* It's just interesting to note that when Thurman was nailed for his DUI, he was serving a 4-game substance abuse suspension and in the vehicle with him were McNeal and Henry.