retailguy
09-06-2006, 10:19 PM
POSTED 9:46 p.m. EDT, September 6, 2006
LIONS SHOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT THEY WERE GETTING IN CULLEN
In its report regarding the recent arrests of Lions defensive line coach Joe "Lady Godiva" Cullen, the Detroit Free Press explains that the Lions didn't bother to call Mississippi Athletic Director Pete Boone for a reference, which likely would have alerted the Lions to Cullen's March 2005 arrest for public intoxication.
Though the Lions won't say whether they knew about Cullen's history, they clearly should have. Even without making a phone call to Pete Boone.
As it turns out, all the team needed to do was search the Internet, which would have revealed that Cullen was actually fired by Mississippi after his arrest -- and that he then sued the school for $434,000.
(Curious, Cullen's online bio omits reference of any kind to his stint at Ole Miss. Ditto for the news release announcing his hiring.)
A basic search also would have revealed that Cullen was reprimanded in 2003 by the University of Indiana for going Bob Knight on one of his players.
So the Lions knew and stupidly hired Cullen anyway, or they stupidly didn't know. Either way, it's an inexcusable outcome for a team that when hiring personnel in the future might want to invest in, say, a roulette wheel.
Thanks, Taco Bill, for finding those stories. You are now officially overqualified to run the Lions' security department.
POSTED 8:55 p.m. EDT, September 6, 2006
LIONS COACH BUSTED FOR DWN
Okay, now we have officially heard everything. Every single thing. Nothing, from this point forward, will surprise us. Not a President getting it on with an intern half his age. Not a President with the intellectual capacity of an intern half his age. Not a crocodile wrestler felled by a two-year-old with a rusty stapler.
Nothing. We'll never by surprised again.
An assistant coach with the Detroit Lions has been arrested for (drum roll . . . keep it going . . . finish with the cow bell) driving while nude.
According to the Detroit Free Press, defensive line coach Joe Cullen has been arrested twice in the last two weeks. Once for driving while intoxicated. Once for driving while de-pants-ified.
And the guy is still on the job, with the team at practice on Wednesday. Cullen walked away when asked about the incidents, and the team later issued this statement on his behalf:
"I would like to apologize to the Detroit Lions organization, our fans, my family and friends for any embarrassment these incidents have caused. These incidents represent a mistake in judgment on my part. I deeply regret them and have learned a valuable lesson. It won't happen again."
Cullen was arrested for DWN on August 24, the night before the team flew to Oakland for a preseason game. (We assume he boarded the plane fully clothed.) Cullen then was arrested and generated a 0.12 percent blood alcohol concentration via breath testing on September 1, after the Lions played their final preseason game against the Bills. The legal limit in Michigan is 0.08.
Coach Rod Marinelli, who hired Cullen, declined comment and referred all inquiries to team president Matt Millen. Said Millen in a statement: "We are obviously very disappointed. These are very serious matters that will be handled sternly and appropriately by our organization. Coach Cullen requested immediate help in seeking treatment. That assistance has been provided and a comprehensive, private program has been established for him."
Hey, we're fully in favor of guys who have real problems trying to cure them. But we tend to be more sympathetic when treatment is sought, you know, before multiple arrests are made.
And what kind of treatment is available for a guy who makes like Lady Godiva? Notes on the bathroom mirror reminding him to get dressed before he leaves the house, not after?
We also don't feel sorry for the Lions. If the team had done a basic background check on Cullen, they would have realized that he'd been involved in an alcohol-related arrest while coaching at Mississippi in early 2005. But the chronically inept Lions didn't even bother to call the Mississippi Athletic Director for a reference.
So is it any wonder why this organization has been so bad for so long? We know that the Lions are suddenly a trendy pick to become a legitimate contender for the postseason, based on the hiring of an old-school head coach who previously hadn't gotten a single interview for such a position at the NFL level. But even if Rod Marinelli is the reincarnation of Vince Lombardi, the incompetence runs far too deep in Detroit for one man to make much of a difference.
LIONS SHOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT THEY WERE GETTING IN CULLEN
In its report regarding the recent arrests of Lions defensive line coach Joe "Lady Godiva" Cullen, the Detroit Free Press explains that the Lions didn't bother to call Mississippi Athletic Director Pete Boone for a reference, which likely would have alerted the Lions to Cullen's March 2005 arrest for public intoxication.
Though the Lions won't say whether they knew about Cullen's history, they clearly should have. Even without making a phone call to Pete Boone.
As it turns out, all the team needed to do was search the Internet, which would have revealed that Cullen was actually fired by Mississippi after his arrest -- and that he then sued the school for $434,000.
(Curious, Cullen's online bio omits reference of any kind to his stint at Ole Miss. Ditto for the news release announcing his hiring.)
A basic search also would have revealed that Cullen was reprimanded in 2003 by the University of Indiana for going Bob Knight on one of his players.
So the Lions knew and stupidly hired Cullen anyway, or they stupidly didn't know. Either way, it's an inexcusable outcome for a team that when hiring personnel in the future might want to invest in, say, a roulette wheel.
Thanks, Taco Bill, for finding those stories. You are now officially overqualified to run the Lions' security department.
POSTED 8:55 p.m. EDT, September 6, 2006
LIONS COACH BUSTED FOR DWN
Okay, now we have officially heard everything. Every single thing. Nothing, from this point forward, will surprise us. Not a President getting it on with an intern half his age. Not a President with the intellectual capacity of an intern half his age. Not a crocodile wrestler felled by a two-year-old with a rusty stapler.
Nothing. We'll never by surprised again.
An assistant coach with the Detroit Lions has been arrested for (drum roll . . . keep it going . . . finish with the cow bell) driving while nude.
According to the Detroit Free Press, defensive line coach Joe Cullen has been arrested twice in the last two weeks. Once for driving while intoxicated. Once for driving while de-pants-ified.
And the guy is still on the job, with the team at practice on Wednesday. Cullen walked away when asked about the incidents, and the team later issued this statement on his behalf:
"I would like to apologize to the Detroit Lions organization, our fans, my family and friends for any embarrassment these incidents have caused. These incidents represent a mistake in judgment on my part. I deeply regret them and have learned a valuable lesson. It won't happen again."
Cullen was arrested for DWN on August 24, the night before the team flew to Oakland for a preseason game. (We assume he boarded the plane fully clothed.) Cullen then was arrested and generated a 0.12 percent blood alcohol concentration via breath testing on September 1, after the Lions played their final preseason game against the Bills. The legal limit in Michigan is 0.08.
Coach Rod Marinelli, who hired Cullen, declined comment and referred all inquiries to team president Matt Millen. Said Millen in a statement: "We are obviously very disappointed. These are very serious matters that will be handled sternly and appropriately by our organization. Coach Cullen requested immediate help in seeking treatment. That assistance has been provided and a comprehensive, private program has been established for him."
Hey, we're fully in favor of guys who have real problems trying to cure them. But we tend to be more sympathetic when treatment is sought, you know, before multiple arrests are made.
And what kind of treatment is available for a guy who makes like Lady Godiva? Notes on the bathroom mirror reminding him to get dressed before he leaves the house, not after?
We also don't feel sorry for the Lions. If the team had done a basic background check on Cullen, they would have realized that he'd been involved in an alcohol-related arrest while coaching at Mississippi in early 2005. But the chronically inept Lions didn't even bother to call the Mississippi Athletic Director for a reference.
So is it any wonder why this organization has been so bad for so long? We know that the Lions are suddenly a trendy pick to become a legitimate contender for the postseason, based on the hiring of an old-school head coach who previously hadn't gotten a single interview for such a position at the NFL level. But even if Rod Marinelli is the reincarnation of Vince Lombardi, the incompetence runs far too deep in Detroit for one man to make much of a difference.