The trouble with being a professional football player or being involved in the National Football League is not having to get ready for the next season. It is not having to wonder if the team is going to draft or trade for a younger player for his position. Preparing for the first opponent is not the hard part nor is recovering from the aches and pains of the previous season.
The trouble with being a professional football player is that everyone watches you. With the ease at which moments can be captured and displayed for public viewing these days, players need to be cognizant of what they do at all times now.
Sadly, there are many that either seem to care less about public perception or are just prone to making really bad decisions at the most inopportune of times.
Michael Vick
Vick is one of the more recent cases of bad decision making. Out of prison and back in the NFL, the world is close to being back at his fingertips again. It would be surprising to see him regain the endorsement deals like he once had, but he can still make millions in the NFL. That is, if he can stay out of trouble.
One of the conditions of his release was that he would not have contact with any of the co-defendants in his dog fighting trial. Sure enough, when he had his 30th birthday party recently one of his co-defendants did show up and even got in an argument with Vick. Once the party was winding down there was a fight and that person, Quannis Phillips, had been shot.
If Vick is found to be in violation of the conditions of his release it could result in Vick having to spend a little more time behind bars.
Ben Roethlisberger
No player has been in the news more for his partying than Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Apparently, Big Ben has trouble being told no. During a night out on the town in Georgia, the young quarterback decided to take certain liberties with a young lady. An investigation ensued, but in the end no charges were filed. However, since the NFL decided that whatever he did was still a violation of the league's conduct policy he was suspended for the first six games.
So before the season even starts the playoff hopes of the Steeler Nation are already in jeopardy.
Marvin Harrison
The one-time Indianapolis Colts great has yet to officially retire, even though he did spend the last year out of football. If he is not careful he could find himself putting on a different sort of uniform soon—and not one that he will get paid millions to put on.
Harrison is already rumored to have been involved in a shooting near his garage in 2008. Recently he was driving a few blocks from the same are when he pulled over going the wrong way down a one-way street. It would not have been too bad for him had he not been caught with a 9 mm pistol.
Police have since confiscated the weapon and are testing it to see if it matches the bullets that were recovered at the scene. Incidentally, the other person involved in the 2008 shooting has since been murdered.
Vince Young
After regaining the starting position he had lost to Kerry Collins and nearly leading the Tennessee Titans into the post season, Vince Young has every reason to be excited and celebrate. Next time he just might want to rethink where he does his celebrating.
The Tennessee quarterback was cited recently for assault after getting into an altercation late one night at a Dallas area strip club. To make matters worse, video of the incident has been popping up all over the internet.
A definitive word has yet to be handed down from the commissioner's office on whether or not the league is going to suspend Young for the incident.
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