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12 Biggest Knuckleheads in the NFLJESSE REED
FEBRUARY 29, 2012
[
bleacherreport.com]
In honor of Leroy Hill and his latest marijuana-related arrest (not his first), I thought I'd put together a list of the biggest knuckleheads in the NFL.
Professional football, like any other profession, is full of responsible adults who keep their noses clean and pressed firmly to the grindstone. Unfortunately, there will always be some people that seem incapable of practicing discretion and common sense: the knuckleheads.
There are a few players in the NFL that have firmly established themselves as knuckleheads in the past, but over time they seem to have turned things around.
Let's hope they continue to establish their ability to use common sense. In no particular order, here are the NFL players currently enrolled in KA (knucklehead anonymous) and appear to be getting their lives together: Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Vick, Adam "Pacman" Jones, Dwayne Bowe, Marshawn Lynch and Plaxico Burress.
Each of these men has struggled to keep their knuckleheadedness under wraps at some point during their careers and have ultimately learned to behave like adults.
Let's hope it stays that way, for their sakes and for ours.
Stevie Johnson
Stevie Johnson has given us a couple solid examples of knucklehead behavior over the last couple of seasons.
First, there was the incident of a missed game-winning touchdown in 2010. Johnson just dropped what seemed to be an easy catch (watch here) to win at the end of the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime. Afterward, Johnson took to the only logical places upon which to lay the blame: Twitter and God.
I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO...
— Stevie Johnson (@StevieJohnson13) Nov. 28, 2010
Right.
Johnson gave us another head-scratcher this season when he decided it would be a good idea to mock Plaxico Burress' self-inflicted gunshot wound to the leg after scoring a touchdown against the New York Jets, Burress' team at the time (seen here).
The incident cost Johnson $10,000.
Knucklehead.
Vince Young
It all started with the Wonderlic test given at the NFL Scouting Combine. Vince Young scored six out of a possible 50 points.
A score of 20 indicates average intelligence.
So maybe Young isn't that smart. Big deal. But there is more.
Young has shown flashes of his college brilliance on the football field. Unfortunately, he has shown up more on the sidelines and in the media due to a couple of hiccups along the way.
Jeff Fisher ended up giving up on Young after Young repeatedly showed immaturity on the sidelines, ultimately quitting on his team.
Then, after getting a fresh start with the Philadelphia Eagles, Young infamously opened his mouth and called them the "Dream Team" after their monumental haul in free agency last offseason, a comment that ultimately backfired in a major way.
Knucklehead.
DeSean Jackson
DeSean Jackson entered the NFL under suspicions of being a diva.
According to one scout, "If you draft this guy, you'd better have him on a short leash from the get-go. He seems to have always done just enough to beat those around him relying on the fact he was better than them."
I guess the scout knew what he was talking about.
In his rookie season, Jackson infamously celebrated a touchdown too early, dropping the ball just short of the goal line (video seen here). You can tell he knows he might not have scored, but his ego won't let him stop celebrating even after his realization.
He did a pretty good job of keeping his nose clean for a while, but Jackson's inner diva came out in full effect in 2011 for the Philadelphia Eagles. He had been angling for a new contract for a couple of years and decided the best way to get what he wanted was to isolate from his teammates and coaches.
This led to a war between NFL Network and Andy Reid, who defended his embattled star.
If Jackson can ever learn to keep his emotions and ego in check, he could end up being a legitimate superstar in the NFL. Until then, he's just another knucklehead.
Kenny Britt
Kenny Britt is a talented wide receiver who can never seem to stay out of trouble.
During a two-month stretch last summer, Britt was arrested twice.
The first was in April 2011. Britt was driving his blue Porsche when he was involved in a police chase, ultimately ending in his arrest. Britt tried to lie to police after getting caught, saying at first that he wasn't the one behind the wheel.
Then, less than two months later and a day after pleading guilty on the first arrest, Britt was arrested again after he "did purposely prevent or attempt to prevent a public servant from lawfully performing an official function by means of force or violence, specifically by refusing to open your hand when ordered to do so then pulling your hand away."
Ugh.
This doesn't even count the other times he has been in trouble without drawing charges.
Knucklehead.
Aqib Talib
Aqib Talib's issues first manifested during the rookie symposium in 2008 when Talib got into a fist fight with fellow rookie Cory Boyd.
Perhaps that should have been a warning sign.
Then, in 2009, Talib was arrested and charged for beating a cab driver.
Wait for it...
Finally, in May of 2011, Talib was arrested, charged and later indicted for firing a loaded gun at his sister's boyfriend, a felony count he will stand trial for in March of 2012.
Knucklehead.
Ndamukong Suh
Ndamukong Suh has displayed some disturbing tendencies during his short NFL career thus far.
In his rookie year even before the regular season had begun, Suh showed his capability for violence when he almost ripped Jake Delhomme's head right off his body on a sack (video here).
That was nothing compared to the incident he ended up becoming infamous for when he repeatedly stomped the head of Evan Dietrich-Smith (video here) during the Detroit Lions 2011 Thanksgiving Day game against the Green Bay Packers.
Then, to top things off, Suh was driving his SUV late at night in Portland, Ore. with friends when he crashed. Suh had told police when they arrived that nobody was injured, a claim later proved to be false as a woman in the vehicle required five stitches after suffering a cut on her eyebrow and also walked away with a black eye and a cut lip.
Knucklehead.
Rolando McClain
Rolando McClain is a knucklehead in need of some positive influences in his life to help him get away from his past.
In January of 2011, McClain was driving in Decatur, Ga. when someone started taking shots at him in the vehicle. According to decaturdaily.com, "Officers saw where one round struck the rear hatch of his vehicle, but the bullet did not penetrate the passenger compartment."
No charges were ever filed in the incident.
Then, in December of 2011, McClain was arrested for firing a loaded weapon near the head of a man he was fighting with.
He's lucky nothing else happened.
Knucklehead who needs help.
Jerome Simpson
Jerome Simpson may be known by most average football fans as the man who took a flying leap and performed a perfect flip into the end zone for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals (see video here).
Unfortunately, that's not the only thing he's famous for.
Simpson was arrested after 2.5 pounds of marijuana was shipped to his house in September 2011. He was recently indicted in the case, and he could be looking at between one to five years for a class-D felony.
It's not looking good for Simpson.
Knucklehead.
Leroy Hill
Leroy Hill is going to become a free agent after March 13, 2012. He was set to earn a nice payday until he recently was arrested for a second time for the possession of marijuana.
I'm guessing Hill will end up being a bargain for the Seattle Seahawks.
Hill was also involved in a domestic violence arrest after neighbors complained to police. Hill's girlfriend had obvious marks on her body, though the charges were later dismissed in an agreement with the courts.
Hill's domestic violence arrest came just two weeks after he had finished dealing with his first marijuana-related arrest.
Knucklehead.
Albert Haynesworth
Albert Haynesworth might be the biggest knucklehead in the NFL.
The first indicator that Haynesworth might have issues came when he viciously stomped Andre Gurode's head while Gurode was laying on the ground after his helmet came off (see video here).
Then, after getting his career off to a smashing start in Tennessee with the Titans, Haynesworth cashed in on free agency and Daniel Snyder's incapability of making sound football decisions when he signed a seven-year, $100 million contract with $41 million guaranteed with the Washington Redskins.
His first season with the Redskins was unimpressive, to say the least. Then, Snyder brought in Mike Shanahan, who brought in Jim Haslett and his 3-4 defense.
They asked Haynesworth to switch positions to a nose tackle. He didn't like it. There was a bunch of drama. Blah, blah, blah. Haynesworth ended up being the biggest free-agency failure in the history of the NFL.
He has since left Washington to go to New England to then go on to Tampa Bay and now free agency.
Haynesworth had all the talent in the world to become one of the best players the NFL has ever seen. Unfortunately, he could never get over himself long enough to live it out.
Knucklehead.
Sam Hurd
Although Sam Hurd is technically not in the NFL anymore, I felt a need to make a special exception in his case to include him at the head of this list.
After seeming to live a perfectly normal life and being generally well-liked around the league, Hurd was arrested on Dec. 21, 2011, for attempting to purchase and distribute large quantities of cocaine and marijuana.
And when I say large, I mean large quantities of cocaine and marijuana. According to the official complaint: "(Hurd) allegedly telling an undercover agent that he was interested in buying five to 10 kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 pounds of marijuana per week to distribute in the Chicago area."
What in God's name was Hurd thinking?
All I know is that he is the biggest knucklehead in the NFL.
