The NFL’s Arrest Records for 2013

Since Super Bowl 47 ended on February 3, 2013, there have been a total of 34 reported

arrests made involving NFL players, according to UT San Diego.com. Some of those arrests violations include DUIs, assault and battery, and even alleged murder. The chart below
displays numbers reported up to July 13, 2013:

photo: MSN Fox Sports.com

Month of 2013	Number of Arrests
July	1
June	4
May	11
April	6
March	7
February	5
*January	*6
Total	40

*The January 2013 arrests were prior to Super Bowl 47

In 2012, two of the most devastating NFL memories resulted in death involving two NFL players.  The first was Javon Belcher of the Kansas City Chiefs. According to DNS NFL.blogspot.com, Belcher committed a murder suicide by killing his girlfriend at their home then driving to the Chiefs facility to take his own life. Second was Josh Brent of the Dallas Cowboys. Brent was driving under the influence with his best friend Jerry Brown riding alongside, when Brent overturned his vehicle. Brent survived the crash, but Brown did not, according to DNS NFL.blogspot.com.

The 2013 season has not begun but the NFL is already in a sticky situation. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell must continue to do everything in his power to protect the shield (NFL). The NFL has marketed themselves into a $9 billion a year operation, according to Money CNN.com. As of July 13, 2013, NFL.com is ranked 296 in the U.S. and 1,076 globally, according to Alexa.com. Goodell and the NFL cannot afford to allow one or two or several players to drastically change their rankings and the face of the league.

photo: Alexa.com

Not only are players getting arrested, NFL management is getting arrested as well. The Denver Broncos front office directors decided to stake their claim in the territory of arrests. The Broncos Director of Pro Personnel Tom Heckert and Director of Player Personnel, Matt Russell, was both arrested within 30 days of each incident. According to Pro Football Talk.com, Heckert was arrested on June 11, 2013, with a DUI charge. According to the Denver Post.com, Russell followed right behind Heckert and received a DUI with careless driving to resulting in an injury on July 5, 2013. The good examples are supposed to be set by management, not carried out in a negative tone.

photo: ABC News.com

Besides the most insane NFL story of 2013 involving former New England Patriot tight end Aaron Hernandez (pictured with Snoop Dog courtesy of Instagram at MSN Fox Sports.com) , there is one story I would like to briefly focus on…the Joe Lefeged arrest in Washington, DC. You may not know the name, but Joe Lefeged plays Safety and is currently a member of the Indianapolis Colts.

According to the Washington Post.com, court documents stated Lefeged was riding in the front passenger seat of a Chevy Camaro convertible with his friends or associates. The DC Police officers were in the Benning Road Metro Station area in DC as an undercover robbery squad. The police pulled over Lefeged and crew for speeding well above the 25 MPH limit. After the stop, police asked a few questions, smelled marijuana and asked them to step out of the car. The driver sped away almost hitting some of the officers. The officers found the car in the middle of the street, while Lefeged and friends fled the vehicle on foot.

photo: Net Car Show.com

Lefeged and friends were later arrested. The police found an unregistered handgun in the vehicle and marijuana. The suspects were speeding, with a friend in the back of the car standing up. The suspects fled the scene, almost hitting police officers and possibly endangering others.

photo: Google Maps.com

This all started because the driver was speeding with a person in the backseat standing up in the convertible. Yes, according to the court documents the person was standing up in a speeding convertible. Not standing through the sunroof of a car…an open vehicle. This is not a movie, a reality show or a documentary. This is real life.

According to the Washington Post.com, the official charge was, “…carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered handgun, unlawful possession of ammunition, having a gun in a car and having an open container of alcohol”. Speeding, guns, drugs, fleeing the scene, almost hitting officers….I can’t say anymore

These are all examples to show, everyone from the players up to the front office, that we are all human. I still believe the front office should be held to a higher standard, but players need to wake up or continue to face fines, suspensions, job loss, or possibly jail time.