A bad week to be Mike Taylor
It’s been a hum-dinger of a week for the Raiders. It’s certainly been no picnic for team spokesman Mike Taylor. First the team gets rejected in the California Supreme Court on a long standing dispute with the league, then newly signed running back Dominic Rhodes is suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
It can’t be much fun for Taylor, who has to deal with the questions that arise when things like this happen.
Heck even the practice squad guys are finding a way to make the wrong kind of headlines. On Thursday, backup defensive end Bryant McNeal was arrested on an outstanding warrant for defrauding a pawn broker back in 2005.
Bryant allegedly sold a Ranger Rover to a Florida pawn broker, even though he didn’t actually own the automobile. What I want to know is, why did the Raiders have this guy on the practice squad? They should have had him in the ticket office, hawking all those empty Coliseum seats last season.
While Bryant awaits extradition back to Florida, Rhodes gets to prepare himself for 4 weeks of R&R, while his teammates attempt to claw back to some semblance of respectability.
It’s baffling to think that high profile athletes still think they can get away with stuff like this. Rhodes hasn’t taken a snap in silver & black and he’s already sending the wrong message.
If the Raiders are serious about turning their ship around, then they need to come down hard on Rhodes. At least as hard as the NFLPA will allow (don’t get me started on the protections that they provide).
Lave Kiffin needs to nip this public relations fiasco in the bud by making an example of Rhodes. Would these shenanigans take place if Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick or Mike Shanahan were at the helm? Nobody is bigger then the team, and that’s the environment that Kiffin needs to establish.
It can’t be much fun for Taylor, who has to deal with the questions that arise when things like this happen.
Heck even the practice squad guys are finding a way to make the wrong kind of headlines. On Thursday, backup defensive end Bryant McNeal was arrested on an outstanding warrant for defrauding a pawn broker back in 2005.
Bryant allegedly sold a Ranger Rover to a Florida pawn broker, even though he didn’t actually own the automobile. What I want to know is, why did the Raiders have this guy on the practice squad? They should have had him in the ticket office, hawking all those empty Coliseum seats last season.
While Bryant awaits extradition back to Florida, Rhodes gets to prepare himself for 4 weeks of R&R, while his teammates attempt to claw back to some semblance of respectability.
It’s baffling to think that high profile athletes still think they can get away with stuff like this. Rhodes hasn’t taken a snap in silver & black and he’s already sending the wrong message.
If the Raiders are serious about turning their ship around, then they need to come down hard on Rhodes. At least as hard as the NFLPA will allow (don’t get me started on the protections that they provide).
Lave Kiffin needs to nip this public relations fiasco in the bud by making an example of Rhodes. Would these shenanigans take place if Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick or Mike Shanahan were at the helm? Nobody is bigger then the team, and that’s the environment that Kiffin needs to establish.
Labels: Dominic Rhodes, Lane Kiffin, Mike Taylor
posted by Mike at
12:09 AM
10 Comments:
You need to get the fact straight on a story before you write your articles. Rhodes got his DUI way before the Raiders signed and they knew a suspension was possible, which is why they were able to get him so cheap. Jeez do you read any articles about the Raiders or visit Raider message boards before throwing this stuff against the wall?
Doh! Better retract your blog before you get ripped today. Rhodes is old news coming up again simply because there is no news. Maybe you should change it to a Colts Patch and rip on the Colts. Or is that your point? The Colts got rid of him.
The Raiders were aware of the fact that Rhodes could be suspended for a few games this year when they signed him. I heard the Raiders wrote protection into the contract. No example needs to be made of Rhodes. Shanahan, come on no coach has signed more dead weight in FA than he has.
UHHHHHHH.....I can not wait for training camp to start so I do not have to read these types of articles. Bill Parcells? He would never allow something like this. Does the name T.O. ring a bell. Why do you think Rhoades only got $1 Mil in guaranteed money. They knew this could happen, the incident occured before they even looked at him. This was an easy sign, it allowed us to get a quality back cheap and he may clean up his act now. If not he is gone and we are not out much. Please training camp come soon.
AMAZING....the fact that there are so many writers that don't know crap. Enough said.
enough said by previous people. you done messed up
Why would Kiffin need to make an example out of Rhodes? As the above posters have mentioned, Rhodes had already made this mistake prior to being signed on as a Raider, which allowed us to sign him a little more cheap. It was just a matter of time for the NFL to take action and EVERYONE and their mom were predicting a 4 game suspension LOOOOOOONG ago....
seriously, for a guy writing on our beloved Raiders, you didn't even know what the rest of us already knew? Or were you just bored and wanted something to write about? I just don't get it....
LAME-ONT, Fargas, and if healthy, Bush will do just fine for 4wks poundin the ball. We get a fresh pair of legs when Rhodes comes back after the bye week going into SD. Why punish the guy for something he already has been punished for, and something that was done before Kiffin even brought him in? SO CONFUSED
Let me add by saying that it was a bogus rap anyway. Come on, the dude had .09 BAC. What is that, like one and a half beers, or was it one IPA? Even the DA knew it was a lame rap and dropped the DUI charges.
Come on, Mr. Patch. I know you can do better. Perhaps you were drunk blogging and you should be made an example of....
12:09 am...
definitely drunk blogging, me thinks....
To the plank!!!
You all missed my point entirely. The Raiders were the worst team in football last season. This team needs to set standards that are above those of any other team just to be mediocre. I will say for the most part that Raider players have kept their noses clean over the past couple of years. I can't even think of an arrest in the past...stop. Again to my point, why should we be talking about arrests, suspensions, etc.
These are all distractions. This team doesn't need any distractions period. I applaud the support that Raider fans lend their team (its unmatched in the NFL in my opinion), but when are fans going to say enough is enough? If a 2-14 season isn't enough ammunition, I don't know what is.
I want to see them succeed more than anyone, but that's going to happen if the lunatics are allowed to run the asylum.
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