The 2005 Bengals season was the most successful season in recent franchise history but it was overshadowed by multiple arrensts by A.J. Nickolson, Odell Thurman, Matthias Askew, and Chris Henry (version 1.0). The press was more interested in talking about the Bengals off the field than what they were accomplishing on the field. The Bengals have worked hard to change their image of the "bad boys" of the NFL. They dumped players like Thurman, Nickolson, and Askew. They brought back Chris Henry (version 2.0.... RIP) and they stayed away from troubled players in the draft and free agancy. The players that the Bengals have brought to Cincinnati that have had some trouble in the past such as Cedric Benson, Bernard Scott and Tank Johnson seem to have changed their ways and have found a home here.
Just when it seemed that the Bengals had finally shed their skin and traded their devils horns and pitchforks for angels wings and halos, Rey Maualuga puts them right back on the front page of the countries sports pages. It wasn't for their 10-6 record or for the fact that they went back to the playoffs; it was because another Bengal player was in trouble with the law. Rey got a DUI and pled guilty today in court. He was sentenced by a district judge in Kenton County today but will probably face a harsher penalty fron the NFL.
I don't understand. I know that people make mistakes and I'm not willing to burn Rey at the steak for this one. I know that if any of us "normal people" would have gotten a DUI, we wouldn't be on the cover of the sports pages or ESPN.com. I feel bad sometimes for players who make one mistake and get plastered all over the news for a month. Tiger, Kobe, and countless other athelets have gone through the same thing... or worse things. At the same time though, if I was making millions to play a game, I would pay a guy to carry me home when I'm drunk. Seriously, hire somebody to drive your dumb ass around. I'll do it for a very reasonable price.
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