The Saints waived wide receiver Biren Ealy and tight end Kolo Kapanui this week (story here). For those of you who missed it, both players were arrested last week for being intoxicated in public and engaging in lewd conduct (link). First and foremost, I’d like to again state that those guys are complete idiots. Any of you downplaying their conduct need to realize that people should be held accountable for their actions, and ANY COMPANY would fire an employee for that kind of behavior gone public. They’re representing an organization that is the highest revenue stream in New Orleans and their actions received some national attention. For something like that to be nationwide news is highly embarassing to both players, and more importantly the organization they represent. I’ll give them this much: it’s probably more media time than they could ever possibly get for actions on the field.
I want to applaud the Saints for wasting no time in running these two out of town. I don’t know Ealy and Kapanui personally, and maybe what happened was out of character for them, or they truly regret their absolutely horrendous judgment. Maybe they don’t. But I know teams like the Bengals, Raiders etc… have kept players for doing similar things in the past. Admittedly, the fact that they were long shots to make the team had a lot to do with how quickly they were released. Had this been Reggie Bush, the Saints would have been more tolerant – but the point is that would never happen with Bush. Why? Because the Saints invest in players with upstanding moral character. This is what makes it so easy for me to root for the Saints. I trust that win, lose or draw, Sean Payton is putting guys out there he trusts as genuine team players when the game is on the line. Ealy and Kapanui were not being team players last week, and now they’re gone. Look what Terrell Owens has done to teams. Look at what Ron Artest has done to teams, and is currently doing to the Houston Rockets in the midst of a heated playoff series. In a team sport, selfish talent does not benefit the greater cause. The Saints have identified their approach and what type of guys they want to fit that said approach. Ealy and Kapanui made it clear they weren’t the right mold so they’re looking for a new team. The message the team sent is clear: unprofessional behavior will not be tolerated. I could not be more proud of the Saints on this one.
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