If this sounds familiar for NFL fans, it should.
As names like Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy continue to swirl around various national news outlets, NFL owners are being forced to ask themselves one very direct and pointed question: When is the time to say enough is enough?
In the case of Jerome Simpson, that question has been answered. The Minnesota Vikings cut the troubled receiver Thursday following his latest run-in with law enforcement.
Simpson, who had already been suspended for three games due to a DUI when he was cited for marijuana possession, driving on a limited license and having an open container in a motor vehicle on July 7, was on the fast-track to becoming the latest public-relations problem for the Vikings.
With Peterson banned for an undetermined amount of time as his child-abuse case moves forward, the last thing owner Zygi Wilf needed was another round of legal inquisitions regarding a player on his roster.
Add it all up and it made perfect sense to cut ties with Simpson. While he enjoyed a strong 2013 season during which he hauled in 48 passes for a career-high 726 yards, Simpson proved to be more trouble than he was worth.
From Simpson’s perspective, it is tempting to attribute his fate to bad timing. Never before has the NFL been under such intense scrutiny when it comes to player conduct away from the field. In the current climate, Simpson’s latest misstep resulted in the only realistic endgame available to Minnesota.
Fortunately for the Vikings, there was none of the dithering that went on when Peterson’s case became public. Minnesota took a firm stand with Simpson, a player who already had experienced legal troubles before he came to the Vikings at the start of the 2012 season.
After joining the Vikings, Simpson proceeded to get suspended twice in three years, including receiving a three-game ban for marijuana possession in Kentucky in 2011. A second three-game suspension along with a few more misdemeanors and Simpson’s inglorious run with Minnesota is now over.
At a certain level, coach Mike Zimmer can now breathe a sigh of relief. The boom has been lowered for a Vikings franchise that hasn’t exactly endeared itself to the Minnesota public in recent months. Between the contentious stadium debates, Wilf’s own conviction on fraud charges in New Jersey and now the Peterson case, the Vikings have had their fair share of PR messes to navigate.
It seems likely that Zimmer’s players will be on their best behavior as a result. Simply put, the Vikings are facing a Minnesota public weary of off-field drama. You can bet that message has been sent in the bluntest of terms by Wilf, Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman.
Everyone understands the NFL is a bottom line business. The bottom line often adds up to two things: Money and victories. As it stands, the Vikings were in mortal danger of losing plenty of both. Minnesota had to act with Simpson and act they did. The message has been sent and received. Now, the question is whether the Vikings can win some football games. In the end, that’s the only question Vikings fans truly want answered.
Matt Johnson is a sports writer for www.rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter at mattytheole or “like” him on Facebook.
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