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DRAFT DAY STEAL MAKES A DEAL
By Oz Davis / realfootball365.com
Cory Rodgers' inaugural season with the Green Bay Packers may now resume, thanks to a plea bargain with Tarrant County, Texas, prosecutors. As in the disturbing tendency among today's athletes to splash their name in the newspaper's police blotter headlines, Rodgers has marred his résumé with his participation in a shooting incident in Fort Worth, Texas.
The May incident that landed Rodgers in a Lone Star county court has been called "a scuffle," "a brawl" and "a rumble" by various media, with a USA Today column claiming that it began with Rodgers refusing to sign autographs and/or buy a round of drinks. The Packer prospect was at a nightclub in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District with two players from Rodgers' alma mater, Texas Christian University, when the hoedown went down with fifty to sixty involved in fisticuffs.
Rodgers was arrested on charges of unlawfully carrying a firearm and discharging a firearm. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the plea bargain arrived at with Lone Star authorities involved dismissal of the latter charge, fifteen months of probation and eighty hours of community service. No punishment has been handed down by either Green Bay or NFL front offices as of yet.
The unfortunate incident marked what has been a nearly flawless three months for Rodgers, who had never been labeled a discipline problem in his university days.
The selection of Rodgers in the fourth round was proclaimed a steal by many pundits and the Green Bay Packers brain trust forecast early that he would be getting playing time on special teams at least: Rodgers is the TCU record holder in return yardage. He has continued to impress since workouts began with his speed and on-field maturity, nearly solidifying a spot on the 2006 Pack.
Now, Rodgers has added impetus. As part of the plea deal, Rodgers may forego reporting regularly to a probation officer if he makes the Packer roster. Should Rodgers remain incident-free for a year and a half, the charges will be removed from his record. And hopefully for this wideout, these headlines won't be the type of news he'll be making forever.
By Oz Davis / realfootball365.com
Cory Rodgers' inaugural season with the Green Bay Packers may now resume, thanks to a plea bargain with Tarrant County, Texas, prosecutors. As in the disturbing tendency among today's athletes to splash their name in the newspaper's police blotter headlines, Rodgers has marred his résumé with his participation in a shooting incident in Fort Worth, Texas.
The May incident that landed Rodgers in a Lone Star county court has been called "a scuffle," "a brawl" and "a rumble" by various media, with a USA Today column claiming that it began with Rodgers refusing to sign autographs and/or buy a round of drinks. The Packer prospect was at a nightclub in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District with two players from Rodgers' alma mater, Texas Christian University, when the hoedown went down with fifty to sixty involved in fisticuffs.
Rodgers was arrested on charges of unlawfully carrying a firearm and discharging a firearm. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the plea bargain arrived at with Lone Star authorities involved dismissal of the latter charge, fifteen months of probation and eighty hours of community service. No punishment has been handed down by either Green Bay or NFL front offices as of yet.
The unfortunate incident marked what has been a nearly flawless three months for Rodgers, who had never been labeled a discipline problem in his university days.
The selection of Rodgers in the fourth round was proclaimed a steal by many pundits and the Green Bay Packers brain trust forecast early that he would be getting playing time on special teams at least: Rodgers is the TCU record holder in return yardage. He has continued to impress since workouts began with his speed and on-field maturity, nearly solidifying a spot on the 2006 Pack.
Now, Rodgers has added impetus. As part of the plea deal, Rodgers may forego reporting regularly to a probation officer if he makes the Packer roster. Should Rodgers remain incident-free for a year and a half, the charges will be removed from his record. And hopefully for this wideout, these headlines won't be the type of news he'll be making forever.
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