The offseason for the Washington Football team continues to spiral out of control. First there was the name change. Then there was that whole sexual harassment scandal that has somehow fallen out of the limelight. Now comes word that a player that was supposed to be the focal point in the offseason has been arrested on suspicion of Domestic Violence.
Running back Derrius Guice was arrested on three counts of assault but most importantly one count of strangulation. That is a felony that carries a severe penalty outside of the football world.
Multiple reports indicate that Washington swiftly did the correct thing and waived Guice today. After missing his rookie year to a torn ACL and missed most of last year to multiple knee setbacks, it looks like another promising career will be wasted due to injury and off-field issues.
When the Washington Redskins selected Guice out of LSU, my initial reaction was that Washington found themselves a bell-cow that could carry the entire load. He wound up only playing six games for the team.
Now that Guice is subject to waivers, will anyone be reckless enough to claim the player? I would think that the NFL is about to shut this young talented kid out but as time passes, it only takes one general manager to give in to talent.
I used to assume that whoever was on the receiving end would recant their initial story and the player would be free to conduct their business as usual but this new age NFL has taught us that Guice will more than likely be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list after he signs with a team, if he ever does, to prolonge his opportunities int he league.
This makes an NFL return very unlikely. If he is guilty of hitting a woman, I hope that the NFL shuts him out like former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice. If he is truly innocent, then this guy deserves another shot at the NFL. Only time will tell.
