Lucky the scapegoat?

[diefree666]

According to his agent he didn't know about the court appearance because he never received anything in the mail since it was a crime he didn't commit and it was a crime committed out of the state he resides in.




YR

since this was a misdemeanor it would be interesting how the summons was delivered. You would THINK that it would be some way (signature required, etc) that could be tracked. Also the address that it was sent to. THAT would tell a lot. If it was NOT his address then it supports his case. If it WAS his address well that makes it more interesting, doesn't it?

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

Jimmy Johnson scapegoated many, and fans liked it. Hmmm?

Exactly. People have been begging for this and now that it happens they poo poo it. Typical.

 

[Future]

Of course he's a scapegoat.

He was going to be cut anyways and now JG can say "look, I cut lucky because bad behavior is unacceptable." He won't do anything to players of consequence.

 

[Doomsday101]

Seems like Lucky was cut, though, as soon as team found out he missed the court date. And his agent has an explanation the team did not care about, or believe. Team acted quick IMO.

We do not know how much he has been messing up on the field as well as off the field. Every player situation is different, while many here want to use a broad brush to paint them all the same. You look at all circumstances in each and every individual case. With some guys letting the league hand down the punishment cost the team nothing since the players pay is also suspended like a player such as Gregory, he is property of the Cowboys but is costing the Cowboys nothing. Lucky was expendable what the Cowboys lost in terms of cap was nothing more than 3,334

 

[Doomsday101]

Of course he's a scapegoat.

He was going to be cut anyways and now JG can say "look, I cut lucky because bad behavior is unacceptable." He won't do anything to players of consequence.

So were many of Jimmy releases. Player falls asleep in meeting and they are cut, Emmitt Smith would fall asleep in meetings and no way was Johnson cutting him.

 

[NorthwestDallas40]

We do not know how much he has been messing up on the field as well as off the field. Every player situation is different, while many here want to use a broad brush to paint them all the same. You look at all circumstances in each and every individual case. With some guys letting the league hand down the punishment cost the team nothing since the players pay is also suspended like a player such as Gregory, he is property of the Cowboys but is costing the Cowboys nothing. Lucky was expendable what the Cowboys lost in terms of cap was nothing more than 3,334

Yup, expendable for many reasons.

 

[Doomsday101]

Yup, expendable for many reasons.

Sure and as I pointed out Johnson would do the same. He cut a player for sleeping in meeting to make a point? Yet Emmitt by his and Irvin own admission would fall asleep and he was not cut or held out of a game because of it. Johnson was not an idiot he was not going to bench his star player

 

[Yakuza Rich]

since this was a misdemeanor it would be interesting how the summons was delivered. You would THINK that it would be some way (signature required, etc) that could be tracked. Also the address that it was sent to. THAT would tell a lot. If it was NOT his address then it supports his case. If it WAS his address well that makes it more interesting, doesn't it?

If a friend or relative gave a fake name there's a good chance they don't know his actual address and may have given a completely made up address.

I hate to tell people on the forum this little piece of info...but, criminals give fake names all of the time when they get arrested. It's not exactly a new concept.




YR

 

[Toro9]

Well, yeah, I do think he is the scapegoat here but it could be justified because he had a court date and couldn't even be bothered to go to it, right?

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

No team is going to cut a major player in this day and age unless it is really out there. It's just the way it is.

 

[Bullflop]

I won't claim to know ALL the facts but seemingly, the team tolerated things with Lucky in the past and decided to cut the cord. At this point in time, it seems evident that they felt it was time to draw the line and assume a disciplinary posture, which was something that was lacking in the past. Perhaps the FO felt compelled to send a message to the team, in light of all the instances of carelessness lately on the part of the players.

 

[diefree666]

If a friend or relative gave a fake name there's a good chance they don't know his actual address and may have given a completely made up address.

I hate to tell people on the forum this little piece of info...but, criminals give fake names all of the time when they get arrested. It's not exactly a new concept.




YR

Now one would think that the police would do a little investigation to make sure that the ID used was valid. IF whoever was arrested had no ID then they tend to stay locked up for a while.

 

[Zimmy Lives]

Details are still murky and I generally am in favor of more discipline for this team, but if Lucky's agent is right, it seems like he was scapegoated to make a point. News stories say Lucky was "summonsed" to appear for petit larceny charge. Which means he was not arrested at the scene, but rather was given a court date to appear. And the summons says the time of the incident was 130 am when he was supposedly was not yet in VA (his flight landed 1130 am). If that is true, his comments that he was unaware of the court date and his agent's comments that he was not there at the time of the incident MAY be true (I don't think they are; there is probably video). Anyway, I think the cut had more to do with Switzer and sending a message than Lucky's guilt.

http://amp.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article163314658.html

Lucky is a stupid, arrogant, self-entitled, me-first person with limited football talent. Add it all up and you get expendable.

 

[Alexander]

By the same token, we should see how this all plays out for the Cowboys as well. I tend to think the Cowboys didn't like the people Lucky was hanging out with. The dog kidnapping was real suspicious because I don't think some wannabe rapper with a criminal background just happens to steal your dog and hold it for ransom unless they know you.

If they did not like the dognapping caper and who he hangs out with, they would have cut him then.

They cut him the day that they found out about this additional larceny situation. There also was a question on how truthful he was about the situation. We don't know what he first gave to the team as a reason for the situation and later on his agent is doing his job and trying to spin this into a mysterious case of mistaken identity.

And I think there's a good chance that whomever shoplifted gave Lucky's name as a fake name and Lucky knows the person and that's a disaster in the making.

So did that person also supply the authorities with his SSN, since there is a record of a Rodney Whitehead being booked along with his SSN? So some random imposter drops his name and vitals when arrested? Highly dubious. Believing his story requires a big leap of faith and the belief in a conspiracy to frame him. That along with this dog thing and his behavior really provides a picture that it is easy to assume why they cut him. They were simply worn out by a marginal player bringing unnecessary drama.

I believe Lucky was expendable, but it's foolish to assume that Switzer will automatically stay healthy or will never struggle. And call me crazy, but I like competition between unproven players. If Lucky is 'taking away reps' from another receiver and that receiver can't handle that...then that receiver isn't made for the NFL anyway.

If he was on the roster, he would get preference as an incumbent. That makes it harder for any other receiver to give the team a reason to give him more reps. He was such a specialized role, Switzer would have been his primary challenger. And in the meantime, he would be commanding reps over say a player like Noah Brown. It would really not be a case where they "couldn't handle it". This simply clears the path for the team to look at other options, rather than waste time with a problematic player.

 

[jwooten15]

Seems like Lucky was cut, though, as soon as team found out he missed the court date. And his agent has an explanation the team did not care about, or believe. Team acted quick IMO.

I think Garrett is 100% fed up with the irresponsible actions of some of the players, and Lucky was the first guy that Stephen/Jerry allowed him to cut. Can't say I blame him. I'd get annoyed if I always had to answer for other people's stupidity as well.

Garrett comes off as very monotonous and robotic with the media, but it seems like he's a very passionate, no-nonsense guy behind the scenes. I bet, if it were up to him, there would have been multiple players cut for disciplinary reasons during the off-season.

 

[Alexander]

According to his agent he didn't know about the court appearance because he never received anything in the mail since it was a crime he didn't commit and it was a crime committed out of the state he resides in.

He is a Manassas native. If he does not maintain a residence there, he certainly stays with someone there and has connections to the area. It is not like this popped up in some random location.

 

[diefree666]

If they did not like the dognapping caper and who he hangs out with, they would have cut him then.

They cut him the day that they found out about this additional larceny situation. There also was a question on how truthful he was about the situation. We don't know what he first gave to the team as a reason for the situation and later on his agent is doing his job and trying to spin this into a mysterious case of mistaken identity.



So did that person also supply the authorities with his SSN, since there is a record of a Rodney Whitehead being booked along with his SSN? So some random imposter drops his name and vitals when arrested? Highly dubious. Believing his story requires a big leap of faith and the belief in a conspiracy to frame him. That along with this dog thing and his behavior really provides a picture that it is easy to assume why they cut him. They were simply worn out by a marginal player bringing unnecessary drama.



If he was on the roster, he would get preference as an incumbent. That makes it harder for any other receiver to give the team a reason to give him more reps. He was such a specialized role, Switzer would have been his primary challenger. And in the meantime, he would be commanding reps over say a player like Noah Brown. It would really not be a case where they "couldn't handle it". This simply clears the path for the team to look at other options, rather than waste time with a problematic player.

the booking part should have a mug shot that would settle pretty much everything, right?

 

[AbeBeta]

If a friend or relative gave a fake name there's a good chance they don't know his actual address and may have given a completely made up address.

I hate to tell people on the forum this little piece of info...but, criminals give fake names all of the time when they get arrested. It's not exactly a new concept.




YR

Booking info included his SS number.

That's some background work.

 

[Reality]

At this point, any player cut could claim they are a scapegoat as that's what happens when some people get away (or at least have the perception of doing so) and someone finally pays for it.

That said, the Cowboys said that the issues with Whitehead were a culmination of things, not just one thing. Add that to the fact he was already being pushed out by other players who can do what he does and more, and probably better, and the fact that they didn't trust him to hold on to the ball on punts inside the 20 and it just makes sense to cut ties with him now. They get a bonus of sending a message to the non-superstars that they won't put up with off-the-field stupidity and free up a roster spot and, more importantly, snaps for the players who have a much better chance to make the team.

 

[Future]

So were many of Jimmy releases. Player falls asleep in meeting and they are cut, Emmitt Smith would fall asleep in meetings and no way was Johnson cutting him.

I know, almost every coach in the league is like that. What does that have to do with anything?