Do NFL Players Get the Summertime Blues?

Sometimes it seems like people tend to lose their cool easier in the Summertime. Obviously, the NFL is not exempt from the issues that face the rest of society.

As the days get longer, crime rates rise. It seems that people around the world have the tendency to go crazy from the heat sometimes during the Summer. The issue that rises for the NFL during the early Summer, is that this time seems to fall directly around the only actual break that the league has during the year. Teams face the fact that they have a multitude of young millionaires, running around unsupervised in the Summer heat.

NFL training camps begin in late July, and after that, it is full-tilt football until February. Once the free agency opens up, followed by the NFL Draft, then it is right back to work for most players and coaches. Except for much of June and July, these young millionaires are busy with work. You would think that these young men could avoid trouble for such a short period in the Summer, but it is also evident that trouble can find them. Still, should the NFL be forced to literally police their players?

Every year, the NFL holds a rookie symposium, which gives the league a chance to inspire their new class on how to act and how to properly deal with their new success. The league also offers a 24-hour chauffeur service hotline, where a driver will come give a ride to any player from any place at any time. The league does its utmost to give their players the chances to succeed safely. But still, every team in the league seems to have faced some kind of player in some kind of legal issue recently. Even the Indianapolis Colts have had to deal with similar character issues from players recently.

For every Peyton Manning, you have a Pacman Jones. Not every player can do the right thing all the time, but they can certainly have enough sense to try and avoid the situations that trouble the safety of their team’s investment. The NFL shouldn’t have to deal with crime, drugs, and murder, but it seems to be the Summertime blues of society.