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NFL

Jets lead NFL in dubious category, and it must change

A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:

1. Eight is enough: This offseason has produced a contrasting mix of emotions: cheers and groans. The Jets have given their long-suffering fans something to get excited about — hello, Sam Darnold — but they’ve also tempered the feel-good vibe with a spate of player arrests.

Continuing an alarming trend that began in 2017, the Jets’ arrest total in the past 18 months is up to eight — the most in the NFL, according to USA Today data. The two most recent players arrested — rookie tight end Chris Herndon and linebacker Dylan Donahue — were involved in alleged drunken driving that resulted in crashes with other vehicles.

It’s a bad look for the Jets, who are close to becoming a punchline.

Player Pos. Date Charge
Chris Herndon TE 6/2/18 DUI
Dylan Donahue LB 2/26/18 DUI
Robby Anderson WR 1/19/18 Eluding police (later reduced)
Rashard Robinson CB 12/15/17 Drugs
Lorenzo Mauldin LB 6/21/17 Assault (later dropped)
Dylan Donahue LB 5/9/17 DUI
Robby Anderson WR 5/7/17 Resisting arrest
Darrelle Revis CB 2/16/17 Assault (later dropped)
USA Today database

Who gets the blame? Start with the players themselves. They’re grown men and they must bear the brunt of the responsibility. Some might point to coach Todd Bowles, saying he has allowed this type of culture to develop. During his tenure, which began in January 2015, the Jets have nine arrests, second only to the Green Bay Packers (10).

In fairness, it should be noted the charges in three of the arrests were dropped: those involving Robby Anderson (from the second of two arrests), Lorenzo Mauldin and Darrelle Revis. Still, the number is high when compared to the rest of the league. Bowles isn’t a bad sheriff — he’s an earnest coach who cares deeply about his players and the image of the team — but the problem persists. He can attack it by taking a strong public stance, sending a message that enough is enough.

Responding to questions in the aftermath of the Herndon arrest, Bowles made the obligatory comments, insisting he doesn’t condone the bad behavior. But he didn’t exactly drop the hammer, saying, “There’s nothing wrong with the disciplinary process. The arrests are going to happen and you deal with them as they come.”

Referring to the drunken-driving charges, he said, “It’s not a Jets problem or a league problem. It’s a nationwide problem.”

Bowles doesn’t coach the nation; he coaches the Jets — and it’s happening on his watch. He’s trying to rectify it. He needs to try harder. So does the entire organization.

2. Leo’s loot: The Jets are in no rush to give Leonard Williams a new contract, and he said he’s OK with waiting. When his time comes — figure next offseason — he’ll have plenty of leverage if he can deliver a 2016-like season (seven sacks and a Pro Bowl). Asked if his goal is to become one of the highest-paid defensive linemen, he said: “It’s one of my goals to be one of the best players, one of the best defensive linemen. When that comes, then I think the money comes with it.”

So the answer is yes.

Williams is due to make $3 million this season and $14.2 million in 2019, the amount of his fifth-year option. The Jets can use the franchise tag for 2020, but they’ll try to get a long-term deal worked out before that. If he wants the deal that Muhammad Wilkerson received in 2016 ($17 million per year, including $37 million guaranteed), Williams will have to raise his production after a two-sack season. Though Jets coaches are quick to say the sack total didn’t reflect his overall effectiveness, it could hurt him at the bargaining table if he registers another low number.

To his credit, Williams is demonstrating patience.

“The contract, that’s going to come,” he said. “There’s no pressure for it. I’m not like thirsty for it or anything like that.”

3. What a business: Williams said he learned the harsh reality of the NFL as a rookie, when he noticed the occupant of the locker adjacent to his seemed to change on a weekly basis. The revolving-door nature of the business was reinforced last week. His best friend on the team, fellow USC product Claude Pelon, was waived because of an injury.

Williams said he was “hurt” by the move, which is understandable. After all, Pelon has been living in Williams’ house this offseason.

A quick postscript: Pelon cleared waivers and was assigned to the Jets’ injured-reserve list.

Leonard Williams is being patient about his contract status. Ed Mulholland/Getty Images

4. Keeping up with Jones: The Jets replaced Pelon with veteran defensive lineman Chris Jones, who played an integral role in two Jets-Patriots games. In 2014, Jones blocked a potential winning field goal by Nick Folk, a redemptive moment for Jones. A year earlier, he was called for a pushing penalty that nullified a missed kick and allowed the Jets to upset the Patriots in overtime. After the ’14 loss, then-coach Rex Ryan lashed out at a reporter when reminded of the symmetry.

5. Walking wounded: The Jets have a handful of injured players whose readiness for training camp appears up in the air, namely wide receiver Terrelle Pryor (ankle), linebacker Jordan Jenkins (shoulder) and wide receiver Devin Smith (knee). Others who bear watching are wide receiver Quincy Enunwa (neck), safety Marcus Maye (ankle) and cornerback Morris Claiborne (hand). This is only June, and the injury list reads as if it’s September.

6. J.J. is Dy-no-mite: Safety J.J. Wilcox, who signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract ($210,000 guaranteed), has more career starts (39) than Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye combined. The Jets have really upgraded the safety position in the past two offseasons.

7. Golfer’s paradise: The golf world will be focused on New York in the coming days, with the U.S. Open coming to Shinnecock Hills on the eastern end of Long Island. The biggest golf fan on the Jets might be wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, who has played some of the region’s top courses in recent weeks — namely Winged Foot and Pine Valley.

Kearse, a 9 handicap, is scheduled to play June 20 in the celebrity pro-am of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut. He hopes to be paired with defending champion Jordan Spieth. Kearse knows Spieth’s caddie, Michael Greller. They both have ties to the Seattle area.

“That’s going to be a whole other level of nervousness,” Kearse said. “I’ve gotten a lot better playing in front of people, but I just feel like that’s going to be a whole other level.”

Kearse said he had been starstruck only once in his life. It happened at former teammate Richard Sherman’s celebrity softball game, where he met a former NBA star. Some dude named Kobe Bryant.

8. Inspiring words: On Thursday night, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater returned to Louisville, home of his alma mater, to speak at the Courier Journal sports awards banquet. Addressing the crowd, he discussed the 2016 knee injury that threatened his career and where he derived his strength to return.

“I’m a fighter. My mom is a fighter,” he said, alluding to his mother’s successful battle with breast cancer. “I come from fighting DNA. If something happens, you don’t just lay down and do nothing.”

9. Tweet of the week:

10. The last word: “I went to the Luke Bryan-Sam Hunt-Jon Pardi concert [at MetLife Stadium], so that was really fun. … [Mostly], I’ve just been here. It’s been awesome, though, being able to spend time in Florham Park in the Jersey area, Morristown. It’s been really cool.” — Darnold, on whether he has experienced the New York nightlife.

NFL

Jenkins, Long lead Players Coalition group pushing bail reform

PHILADELPHIA — Just hours after Malcolm Jenkins held up signs to gathered media in the Philadelphia Eagles locker room Wednesday, he addressed a group of about 100 public defenders at a reception.

He explained how the police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile motivated him into action. How Anquan Boldin’s cousin also was killed by a police officer after his car broke down on the side of the road, leading to Boldin’s involvement and the eventual forming of the Players Coalition, which convinced the league to contribute $89 million over seven years to projects dealing with criminal justice reform, law enforcement/community relations and education.

Eagles defensive end Chris Long sits with Kristi Roehm, the co-managing director of the Players Coalition, at a meeting of public defenders to discuss bail reform. Courtesy/John W. Graves

Jenkins spoke of how members of that coalition recently helped push through a piece of legislation in Boston that raised the age children are allowed to be sent to juvenile institutions from 7 to 12, and about the championing of the Clean Slate Act — a bill aimed at reducing the recidivism rate in Pennsylvania — which has effectively passed through the House and Senate.

“There’s all of these ways that we’ve found to help,” Jenkins said. “If there’s one thing that we know how to do as athletes, it’s draw a lot of attention to whatever it is we’re doing. So we’re just here to really encourage you guys.

“We know that your job is not easy and you’re right on the front lines of this. So when you’re getting tired, you’re overworked, you’re running out of resources, time, please lean on your community … lean on organizations like us to really help you push that to the next level because you have people who are advocating for you, who are behind you. Thank you, guys, for having us.”

A public defender called out from the back of the room: “Thank you for kneeling.”

Jenkins never has knelt in protest, but instead raised a fist during the playing of the anthem for parts of two seasons. But in this room, it was the progress that had been done, not the form of demonstration, that mattered.

Jenkins, defensive end Chris Long and safety Rodney McLeod were meeting with chief public defenders from across the country for a discussion about bail reform — a major point of focus for the Players Coalition for 2018. Gathered together around a horseshoe table, the group brainstormed for close to two hours to identify potential solutions to the core issues and cultivate an action plan that would best utilize the players’ growing influence in the court of public opinion.

The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles did not make a scheduled visit to the White House this week, with President Trump canceling the event. A large group of Eagles players had decided earlier not to attend.

• White House blames Eagles »
• Eagles coach Pederson disappointed »
• Jenkins makes point with signs »
• What it means, and what’s next »
• Jenkins ‘tired of the narrative’ »
• Undefeated: NFLPA’s Ben Watson says union must ‘keep pushing the truth’ »

In order to have the proper messaging, they had to first get properly educated.

“This might be a dumb question,” Long said, “so prepare yourself.”

Transparency, the group of about 25 defenders concluded, is key in keeping the power brokers honest and protecting the vulnerable, so Long was curious about the capacity of courtrooms and how easy it is for the public to have access to bail hearings to help keep things on the up-and-up.

“I’m not the person to ask because our system currently is really messed up,” one defender responded. “Our bail hearings happen via video conference in a trailer while our current jail is being reconstructed. It is, for a lack of a better professional term, a s— show right now.”

“You’re speaking my language,” Long responded, drawing laughs.

The latest actions of the Players Coalition unfolded in the shadows of a national controversy surrounding the Eagles and the White House. The Eagles were scheduled to visit Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to celebrate their Super Bowl championship, but President Donald Trump, who has been at odds with the NFL over player demonstrations during the national anthem, canceled the event after the team told the White House that just a small player contingent would be in attendance. Instead, Trump had a celebration of the American flag and emphasized the importance of proudly standing “for our glorious nation under God” before the playing of “God Bless America.”

About 75 media members descended on the Eagles’ practice facility Wednesday. Most set up shop at the locker stall of Jenkins, who chose not to use his voice at all in this moment, instead holding up signs that pointed to the work that players have been doing in the community and stats related to social-justice issues.

Malcolm Jenkins (in hat) and Rodney McLeod (seated next to him) represent the Players Coalition at a meeting with public defenders. The topic was bail reform. Courtesy of John W. Graves

As it so happened, one of the events dedicated to those efforts was scheduled for that night.

“This is just an interesting coincidence, and it is an irony, because so many people that see players drawing attention to causes say, ‘Well, what are they doing?’ And the evidence is a Google search away,” Long said. “But the reality is I don’t think good news and productive stuff sells. We just have to get past this thing in our country where only the bad news and only controversy sells. This is good stuff. This is common-sense stuff. And it should be reported on that players are doing substantive things in their community and have been for a while.”

There were some jarring revelations in the session. A study found that 62 percent of the prison population in Philadelphia is made up of people in on cash bail, or as part of pre-trial detention. Those who can’t afford bail sit in jail for the lifespan of the case, which can be about six to eight months at the cost of $120 a day to taxpayers, all before it’s determined whether they’re innocent or guilty.

The New Orleans rep evoked an image from the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina of evacuated inmates from Orleans Parish Prison, in orange jumpsuits, sitting on the overpass “for hours and days” in part because of the sheer number of people that needed to be rescued. There were more than 7,000 in the local jail at that time in large part because of the cash bail system and the lack of resources in the public defender sector. Improvements in those areas have helped lower the current number of prisoners to around 1,200.

In Washington, D.C., they eliminated cash bail and established a pre-trial services industry that protects presumption of innocence rights, with positive results. It is considered a model for other states.

In a similar effort, Jets CEO Christopher Johnson, along with current Jets Josh McCown and Kelvin Beachum and ex-Jet Demario Davis, sent a letter to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and top lawmakers recently calling for them to pass comprehensive bail reform, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

“Watch a bail hearing and you will see immediately the ills of that process and how it does not match up with the ideals of this country and the presumption of innocence,” Long said, “and the fact that we are jailing so many innocent people and it is taking such a toll on not just those people and their families but our country and bogging down our system. And not only that, but it’s just wrong, and the assignment of bail is arbitrary. People would be blown away. But we have to connect people to that process. We are influencers who have that ability, and coming away from today, we feel like we’re more empowered.”

Bradford-Grey pointed out that public defenders have been fighting this fight for decades, but because of the awareness athletes are bringing to the cause, “people are starting to care, they’re starting to learn more, they’re starting to get involved. For that, we forever thank them.”

NFL

Seahawks DE Jordan rehabbing from knee surgery
8:13 PM ET

  • Brady HendersonESPN

RENTON, Wash. — Seattle Seahawks defensive end Dion Jordan is recovering from another knee surgery, coach Pete Carroll said Thursday.

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Jordan, a projected starter for Seattle, has been sidelined during organized team activities. Carroll said the team hopes he’s back by training camp.

“He had a surgery, kind of an after surgery to correct a little something,” Carroll said. “Everything went really well, and we’re hoping that by camp time he’ll be ready to rip and all that. But [it’s a] knee thing that, he’s had some complications over time, and so it was worth it to go ahead and clean this thing up. It was a really small issue, but it was one that was going to sit him down for six to eight weeks, so we went ahead and did it.”

The 28-year-old Jordan has had knee problems dating back to his time with the Miami Dolphins, who drafted him third overall in 2013 and waived him last offseason with a failed-physical designation. He signed a one-year deal with Seattle last offseason but then had another surgery and didn’t make his Seahawks debut until November. Jordan recorded four sacks in five games but missed three more with a neck injury.

The Seahawks re-signed him as a restricted free agent.

Jordan’s absence and that of Frank Clark during offseason work has further thinned the Seahawks’ defensive line, which underwent more turnover than any position group on Seattle’s roster. The Seahawks traded Michael Bennett, waived fellow end Cliff Avril with a failed-physical designation and lost defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson in free agency. Clark replaced Avril in the starting lineup last season and Jordan has been in line to take over at the other end spot for Bennett.

Clark has joined free safety Earl Thomas and cornerback Byron Maxwell in skipping voluntary OTAs. Asked if he expects Thomas back for next week’s mandatory minicamp, which runs Tuesday through Thursday, Carroll responded: “Yeah, it’s mandatory, so we expect everybody to show up.”

Recently signed wide receiver Brandon Marshall was absent Thursday. Carroll said Marshall, who’s coming off ankle and toe surgeries, was back home rehabbing.

Carroll said strong safety Kam Chancellor, who suffered a career-threatening neck injury last season, has yet to undergo a scheduled scan that could provide clarity on his playing future. General manager John Schneider said before the draft that the scan was planned for June or July.

Right guard D.J. Fluker practiced Thursday after being held out of earlier OTAs to rest a knee injury.

Offensive tackle George Fant has still yet to practice as he returns from knee surgery, but he is expected to be ready by training camp. Fant was in line to resume his starting role at left tackle last year before he tore his ACL in the preseason, prompting the Seahawks to trade for Duane Brown at the deadline.

“George could probably get out now if we needed him to, but it’s just not worth it to do that,” Carroll said. “He’s chomping at the bit. Now he’s had two years of lifting and getting the strength training in order. He looks great and he’s done everything. He’s been here the whole time with us, so we feel really good about the process of getting him ready. There’s just no reason to do it.”

NFL

Jenkins 'tired' of anthem narrative, hence signs

PHILADELPHIA — Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins opted not to speak during his media availability Wednesday. Instead, he held up signs highlighting the work of NFL players in the community and facts related to social justice matters every time a question about the cancellation of the White House visit was raised.

On Wednesday evening, Jenkins broke his silence and explained the motivation behind that action in a one-on-one interview with ESPN.

“I’m tired of the narrative being about the anthem, about the White House or whatever,” he said following a meeting in downtown Philadelphia with top public defenders from around the country on the issue of bail reform. “The issues are the issues. And the reason that we’re doing any of this is because we have these huge disparities in our criminal justice system; we have this issue of mass incarceration; we have issues of police brutality; our children and access to education and economic advancement is nonexistent in communities of color. And these things are systemic; there are ways that we can change them.

“And for me, I feel like this is the time to do that. And so, that message can’t continue to be ignored. And that’s what I think has been happening up until this point. So we just have to continue to stay on topic and continue to push the issues — and not this narrative of who’s right and who’s wrong, but what are the reasons why players are even so passionate about this.”

The story that has dominated the headlines is the White House cancelling on the Eagles a day before the scheduled visit, accusing them of a “political stunt” by notifying the White House at the last minute that only a small contingent of players would attend.

The team had been deliberating for weeks how to best approach the trip to make it an experience the players could agree on and share together. One idea that was considered during those talks was having a group of players meet with the president to discuss issues of importance to them.

While the Eagles “floated” the idea of a sit-down with President Donald Trump, Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, at left, said most inroads concerning the issues he’s fighting for are made at the local level. AP Photo/Josh Reynolds

“An opportunity, I think, was floated around as an idea,” Jenkins said of a sit-down with President Donald Trump. “But a lot of that back-and-forth with the White House was not — we as a team weren’t necessarily privy to that information; that was kinda going between team executives and the White House. And so as players, I think it was left up to each individual what they wanted to do; they were gonna have some options. But then ultimately, the decision was to only send a few guys, and then obviously it got cancelled after that.”

Jenkins said he does not view the proposed sit-down with the president as an opportunity lost, saying most inroads concerning the issues he’s fighting for are made at the local level.

To that end, Jenkins and two other Eagles — fellow safety Rodney McLeod and defensive end Chris Long — met with chief public defenders from around the country after Wednesday’s practice to gain knowledge about the bail system. The Players Coalition, which was founded by Jenkins and former NFL wideout Anquan Boldin, is gearing up to make a big push on bail reform, so the Eagles trio participated in an hour-and-a-half session with the chief defenders to help formulate an action plan to make the best use of their efforts and influence.

The Players Coalition joined in a partnership with the NFL in November that calls for the league to contribute $89 million over seven years to projects dealing with criminal justice reform, law enforcement/community relations and education. Jenkins stopped protesting during the national anthem after that partnership was forged.

The league’s new anthem policy, which requires players to stand if they are on the field during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” has added fuel to the controversy and politicization surrounding the issue in recent weeks. Jenkins, though, does not believe it will have an impact on the Players Coalition’s efforts.

“I’m not sure about the whole anthem policy. But I know that won’t affect our work outside of that. We’ve been doing work outside of the anthem since the beginning. Before the anthem even started, players were involved in these types of social justice issues,” Jenkins said. “The anthem protests or demonstrations just brought eyes and attention to it.

“And so for us, it’s just continuing to do the work, continuing to share our message to those who actually even want to hear it, to stay on topic and not really get into arguments about what’s right, what’s wrong — ’cause those are all excuses for people to not listen to you. And so for us, it’s staying on topic, doing the work, supporting those who are doing the work and pushing forward.”

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