Ring Of Dishonor
December 30th, 2016
BY IRA KAUFMAN
C’mon down, Mr. Martin, and join your Buccaneer brothers in the Ring of Dishonor.
By earning a four-game suspension, Martin is now part of an infamous group of Tampa Bay players known for making the wrong kinds of headlines since the 2002 Bucs reached the NFL summit.
The ensuing 14 years have been marked by a lot of losing and a lot of poor choices, both on and off the field.
It didn’t take long after that Super Bowl victory for the Bucs to catch the attention of Tampa Bay law enforcement. Safety Dwight Smith was popped on a 2003 felony charge of aggravated assault with a firearm after a road rage incident.
Sadly, the hits just kept on coming.
David Boston was cut after DUI charges.
Plenty of company
Geno Hayes was jailed on disorderly conduct and trespassing charges after a nightclub dispute.
Jermaine Phillips was arrested for allegedly choking his wife.
Jerramy Stevens was arrested on a charge of possessing large quantities of marijuana.
A DUI allegation found Mike Williams.
Ahmad Black was cited for marijuana.
Who can forget former Bucs safety Tanard Jackson, ruining a promising career with a series of awful decisions?
Jackson was suspended twice as a Buccaneer for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Given a second chance in Washington, Jackson was suspended two more times before he found himself out of the league at the age of 28 — when he should have been in his prime.
Da’Quan Bowers, who couldn’t generate many headlines as a player, joined the party when he was arrested for illegally carrying a handgun at LaGuardia Airport.
Talented knucklehead Aqib Talib kept the Tampa Bay media busy with his exploits all over town.
Besides earning a four-game suspension for violating NFL policy regarding performance-enhancing substances, Talib got into an altercation with a St. Petersburg cab driver.
Returning home to Texas, Talib was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The Bucs secondary has generated more than its share of infamy.
In the same year, safety Cody Grimm was arrested for public intoxication and corner Eric Wright was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
Josh Freeman deserves a chapter of his own in Buc lore, fined repeatedly for missing team meetings before word spread that he was enrolled in an NFL drug program.
Far-reaching consequences
There’s been no signs of abatement.
Akeem Spence was suspended for the 2015 season opener following his arrest for possession of marijuana.
Kwon Alexander was suspended for the final four games last season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. Jude Adjei-Barimah matched that this year.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins got his walking papers this September after a DUI arrest.
And there have been others.
Yes, it could have been worse. We could have had a Ray Rice or Greg Hardy situation on our hands here in Tampa.
Still, these cases show weakness by Buc players who let down their teammates, coaches and fans.
Before we pin a medal on Doug Martin for owning up to his failings, let’s remember that his poor decisions had far-reaching consequences for this franchise.
Martin won’t be the last Buc to enter the Ring of Dishonor. It’s a club no one wants to join, but its ranks are sure to swell as long as there are police blotters and random drug tests.
December 30th, 2016 at 1:01 pm
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes.
December 30th, 2016 at 1:02 pm
Good read Ira.
Joes or Ira,
do we know who belongs in the ring of dishonor pre 2002? I’m not asking during the culverhouse years but more since the time dungy took over to us winning the super bowl
December 30th, 2016 at 1:04 pm
How did ASJ not make the list?
December 30th, 2016 at 1:05 pm
Never mind. Missed that whole paragraph somehow. My bad.
December 30th, 2016 at 1:07 pm
No mention of Kwon Alexander or Jude Adjei-Barimah. Didn’t they get the EXACT same suspension as Doug Martin? 4 games suspension for PED.
December 30th, 2016 at 1:08 pm
Ira and Joe, this stuff happens everywhere. Are we shocked when it hits the wires? I doubt it. These guys are human beings with the pressure to succeed that can be overwhelming. Martin made a serious mistake in thinking he wouldn’t get caught. But for every player they catch, I’d wager there are two or three they don’t.
Martin has shown a propensity to injury more than most other running backs. I don’t agree with his choices but I do understand the strain he must have felt.
December 30th, 2016 at 1:08 pm
Lakeland – Keep reading. I made a similar mistake. The break doesn’t signify a change in topic, like in most of Ira’s articles.
December 30th, 2016 at 1:09 pm
My Apology. Ira I missed the Kwon and Jude article.
December 30th, 2016 at 1:25 pm
People make mistakes and this was one of them.. Now let’s see if the Bucs decide to ride with him and support him or do what most fans want them to do and that’s get rid of him
December 30th, 2016 at 1:28 pm
@Rat Pack – I’d love to see them cut Doug and then bring him back under a significantly reduced contract. It’s hard for him to have much bargaining power if he’s coming off of a down season that ended in a drug suspension. He won’t have a ton of offers, I would assume. Bring him back on the cheap and let him compete for a backup job.
December 30th, 2016 at 1:33 pm
Just like every other NFL team
December 30th, 2016 at 1:38 pm
It is time to move on from Doug.
I wasn’t a fan of the signing at the time, and now that we are not obligated to pay him anything, let’s bring in one of the many talented running backs in this year’s draft.
December 30th, 2016 at 1:48 pm
PEDs is getting to be a league wide problem. The rules are also somewhat confusing. My understanding is that Martin took Adderall. If Adderall is taken during the season, it is a PED violation. If it is taken during the off-season, it is a substance abuse violation – and different penalties.
I don’t have an answer. All I know is if Viagra was on the list and it is performance enhancing, I would be suspended indefinitely – suspect Ira and the Joes would be serving time too! lol.
December 30th, 2016 at 1:57 pm
Are you kidding me with this!? You are lumping him in with these thugs and repeat offenders!? We dont even know what he did. I couldnt disagree with this article more and it shouldnt be up on this blog!
December 30th, 2016 at 2:03 pm
We do not know what he took nor likely will ever know.
December 30th, 2016 at 2:04 pm
Macabee:
Ha!!!
December 30th, 2016 at 2:04 pm
Sorry but Doug has always been a good player when healthy. The guy is battling a huge epidemic that is becoming a common addiction. I hope the team sticks with Doug and gives him a shot at redemption. He doesn’t need to put in this group of players yet.
December 30th, 2016 at 2:06 pm
@Tom T – you’re focusing on what you want to see. Da’Quan Bowers, Cody Grimm, and David Boston were all upstanding, fine people who merely made a bad choice. He wasn’t lumping Martin in with anyone other than people who were known to have issues off the field.
My only criticism of the article would be the absence of any mention of Michael Pittman’s and Jeramy Stevens domestic violence issues
December 30th, 2016 at 2:10 pm
You know better than me, Joe! Just wanted you to know where I got that.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/12/28/doug-martin-tested-positive-for-adderall/
December 30th, 2016 at 2:27 pm
Guys, if I roll my eyes any further in to my head, I’m not sure they’ll come back. Get away from the Adderall thing. Ever since the last CBA, every player that has popped has been due to Adderall and no one has popped for anything else. Let’s stop acting like the players have given up other drugs so that they can start doing Adderall because they’re all just super dedicated to studying their playbooks. Come on, guy.
December 30th, 2016 at 2:42 pm
macabee:
Remember, that is coming from a paid representative of Doug Martin. It is a dubious claim.
December 30th, 2016 at 2:49 pm
@ Patrick – I agree man! It AMAZES me that guys like macabee haven’t figured this out yet. Hey Mac, his agent is lying!!!!! Addarall is what they all say, and I would venture to say that none of them actually got popped for Addarall. You also don’t go to rehab for Addarall. You know what other drugs are listed as performance enhancing per the NFL drug policy; cocaine and amphetemines. Now I have heard of guys going to rehab for meth and coke. They say Addarall because nobody can come out officially and contradict them and it sounds a hell of a lot better than steroids, cocaine, meth, etc. Here is what I would do if I was Martin and it was actually Addarall, I would be more that willing to share it with the world to help clear my name somewhat. He won’t do that because he can’t. I wish someone from the media would ask him if he would like to share the report so the accusations about more menacing drugs would stop. I would love to hear his response.
December 30th, 2016 at 2:59 pm
People make mistakes, no doubt. I will certainly not cast stones. To one degree or another, been there and done that. Lets be frank though, there’s 50+ other players on this team who managed to play without banned substances (that we know of!) or get arrested. So, while I empathize with Martin, Quizz ain’t doing it, Sims isn’t, etc…so I really don’t feel sorry for him. I like Doug too but if we move on we move on. I just hope he gets whatever help he needs.
December 30th, 2016 at 3:00 pm
It sure does seem like Tampa Bay sold its collective soul to the dark one for that Super Bowl win.
December 30th, 2016 at 3:18 pm
To all you apologist … Go pound sand !! This fool was paid HANDSOMELY to do a job and preform ! He flat out blew it . Rehab ??? We all know what that implies . He shafted his teammates and the Glazers for selfish reasons ! Cut him and move on !
December 30th, 2016 at 3:33 pm
Louis Friend Says:
December 30th, 2016 at 1:08 pm
Ira and Joe, this stuff happens everywhere. Are we shocked when it hits the wires? I doubt it. These guys are human beings with the pressure to succeed that can be overwhelming.
____________________
Odd, but you rarely hear anything of this sort regarding the Rays or Lightning. I guess Buc players are just overwhelmed more so than the others by the pressure to succeed. LOL!
December 30th, 2016 at 5:23 pm
Tanard Jackson’s big crime was using pot for pain. This poses a BIG question a la 2016. California, Alaska, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada, and I think DC have now legalized pot for recreational uses. There are several major NFL ball clubs in that group. How is the NFL, whose ownership is not exactly members of NORMAL, going to handle this situation? This bozo state just joined the gang in legalizing for medical purposes. What do you all think? The ship of drug reform has set sail and it ain’t turning back, regardless of what the political morons think.
December 30th, 2016 at 5:46 pm
Decriminalization is the only acceptable outcome for cannabis. Take the money out, poor people can grow their own. Rebuke the police state arrogance.
December 30th, 2016 at 6:37 pm
What? They’re human? WTF!!
December 30th, 2016 at 6:41 pm
The NFL needs to stop treating players who use Cannabis like criminals.
Weed is legal medicine in 29 states and is completely legal for anyone over the age of 21 in 8 states (+DC). These #s will continue to rise quickly over the next 4-6 years as more and more people in a vast majority of states rightfully tell the Feds to stick it regarding this subject via the ballot box.
The Feds are liars and hypocrites when it comes to the war on drugs and in particular cannabis. Scheduling pot in the same class as heroine with “no known medical value” – while publicly ignoring all the benefits shown through scientific research and privately controlling the patent for all known medical uses of THC.
Shame on King Goodell for perpetuating the police state measures and attitudes that the Federal Gov’t imposes on an unwilling population of Americans. Especially in light of the evidence that cannabis can be beneficial in the treatment of head trauma – an issue that the NFL is damn near ruining the game over in hopes of curtailing.
December 30th, 2016 at 9:07 pm
That’s a cheap shot at Bowers. The gun was registered, he was more a victim of New York’s ridiculous and punitive gun laws than any kind of criminal.
December 30th, 2016 at 11:37 pm
Well said pick.
December 31st, 2016 at 5:21 am
they all hang out in lingerie shops with suhagra
😉
December 31st, 2016 at 8:50 am
My Favorite Muscle Hamster is still just as cite and equally bad as… Just not for the reasons of being the cult classic I had imagined…
Has anyone stopped to think of what the real issues and who is really to blame here???
We should of listened to him from day one… He aint no Hamster dag nab it… Well here to you Doug (lame name) Martin… Yoir right!!! Your not nickname worthy… At least not until now…
BUT before i coin you a new nickname… Let me say I am so very sorry for ALL THE PRESSURE (support?) I have cast upon you… Im sorry for all the praise (money?) I heaped upon you… AND MOST OF ALL CAUSE I KNOW ITS WHAT DROVE YOU TO THE BRINK…. Sorry for wanting to brand you the baddest as s running back in Buc history with the most ICONIC nickname in NFL history… I know that was not what you had in mind when you decided to play ASJ for a day and poop on yourself and team. But we should of expected this much from a guy with a rodent nickname… They sleep in there own poo…
No its clear now… You didnt like the nickname cause it struck a cord deep within you… You knew you where a self defecating rodent and you sure showed us….
May the Muscle Hamster live on… The badest little thing that ALMOST HAPPENED….
Seriously sorry for putting the pressure on ya… Sure wish I would of coddled you like a normal hamster.
December 31st, 2016 at 10:44 am
@ touchdowntampa bay
Afederal is a is the most commonly prescribed amphetamine. It is a schedule II controlled substance because of its strong addictive potential.
December 31st, 2016 at 11:26 am
Don’t give me the “walk a mile in his shoes” BS. I never will make millions a year….I never will have an opportunity for “guaranteed money”. The point is that they hurt the team. Had they done that after the end if their career, and it hadn’t affected the team, I would felt sadness about it, rather than indignation. Maybe you can feel sad about the fans who spent their hard earned income on a team that failed to reach their potential because of the action ; one that may have very well made the playoffs or been at least more successful.
December 31st, 2016 at 1:01 pm
LOL, go ahead and believe the usual adderall story then Robert. All of these poor players have ADD and want to focus so much that they blow up thier careers and take it. None of them ever take steroids, cocaine, mollies are anything else. He was buddies with ASJ and I guess he also was on Adderall the night he informed the cop while in the back of the cruiser that he had to take a huge $#@&!
I have hear rumors that he likes the same stuff that Spence like while at OSU. Don’t know if the rumors are true but I would believe that before I would believe he was pissing away 10s of millions of dollars on a drug for ADD.