Rage Building

The Bucs are guilty of misinterpreting community reaction against Jerramy Stevens as merely a tempest in a teapot. If anything, fan reaction grows stronger by the day. Just listen to the callers deluging WDAE's morning and afternoon programs: the tone is clearly "kick the bum out." And the Bucs' odd decision yesterday to put an uncomfortable, thoroughly reticent Stevens in front of the media only aggravated the situation.

What did the Bucs hope to accomplish by this? Whatever it was, it clearly failed to assuage a skeptical media and public, that's for sure. In a St. Pete Times' article by Stephen Holder today, there's an interesting quote from Stevens that specifically addresses the community backlash:

"I don't feel it's a good use of my time to focus on that, so I'm doing everything I can to try and go forward. It's not surprising to me. It's a fan's right to try and understand what's going on. The fact that I play for the Buccaneers and the fans in the community are concerned, I understand that. … The only way I can move forward and become a better person and stay that way is to keep my eyes focused forward and not backtrack and talk about these things that happened and I learned from." [Full story]

So, let's see if we understand this correctly: it's our right as fans to try to understand what's going on with your past, and whether you belong in our community, but you're simply not going to answer any questions that would help facilitate that process? Okay, how about this, then ... we're done thinking about it: Get out. Now.

And lest the critics of those who oppose Stevens (and your message board behavior, mostly crude, stupid insults, and child-like failed logic, speaks volumes), and that those who are speaking out are acting unfairly toward the DUI-meister, check out the stern words the NFL levied on Stevens in it's suspension statement yesterday:

"Jerramy Stevens of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been suspended without pay for the team's first two regular-season games of 2008 and fined an additional game check for violating the NFL Substance Abuse Policy. However, if he has any further violations of either the Substance Abuse or Personal Conduct policies between now and the start of the 2008 regular season, Stevens would be suspended without pay for the team's first three regular-season games and face additional discipline for the new violation." [Source]

As Stephen Holder translated: Better not mess up again, son.

The bottom line is the Bucs could make all this go away in the blink of a Bruce Allen eyelash. Stevens is a mediocre talent who has never had to suffer the sum consequences of his many sordid actions. We don't want to be the community that suffers from his final act of bad judgement that would prove his critics right all along.

We wonder if anyone recalls the last time a young, troubled NFL star (who also had rape allegations hovering over his head) showed up in Tampa for a "last chance"? That didn't end up very well at all, did it? Remember?