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Dante Fowler Jr. Arrested; Panthers Hire Hurney

Fowler Jr. will probably be hearing from Roger Goodell.

Wednesday morning brought some bad news for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. was arrested Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Fla. on two misdemeanor charges.

According to reports, Fowler allegedly got into a verbal argument with a man, punched him and then stepped on his glasses. Which is really taking it to some old-school Christmas Story depths.

Fowler was picked up bu the Cops around 8:30 p.m. and was cut loose at 1:43 a.m. Wednesday morning on $650 bond. The Jaguars released a statement basically saying they were waiting for more information and have been in contact with Fowler.

While punching some asshole in the face in the real world really isn’t that big a deal, for an NFL player with a suspension-happy Roger Goodell, it can come with a cost. This isn’t the first time Fowler has run afoul of the law. Back in March, 2016 he was booked for misdemeanor assault and resisting arrest. He had to enter a court-mandated diversion program for that and, somehow, escaped the NFL’s scrutiny.

Before that he got in some hot water for appearing in a video watching a couple of trashy women beat each other up. I never got why that was a big deal.

Fowler Jr. has yet to live up to his lofty draft status. The Jaguars picked him No. 3 in 2015, but he tore up his knee in OTAs and missed the entire season. Last year he got just one start, but appeared in all 16 games recording 32 tackles, four sacks and five passes defended. Under new head coach Dave Marrone, Fowler Jr.’s production will likely increase this season, but he could be looking at a one-to-four game suspension after this arrest, regardless of how it’s handled in the courts. It is Roger Goodell’s way.

In other Jaguars-related news, the team worked out free agent tight end Gary Barnidge Tuesday. Barnidge would definitely be a help to the Jaguars’ offense. Last season, even with the nutso quarterback situation in Cleveland, Barnidge caught 55 passes for 612 yards and two touchdowns with the Browns. Just two seasons ago he had 79 catches for 1,43 yards and nine scores, making his first Pro Bowl.

While Barnidge will be entering his ninth season in the league, he doesn’t have a lot of wear and tear on his body. He’s primarily started three of the last four seasons after starting his career as a reserve.

Panthers hire Hurney as Interim General Manager

The Carolina Panthers looked to the past to replace fired general manager Dave Gettleman Wednesday when they brought back former GM Marty Hurney to serve in an interim role until a permanent replacement can be found.

Hurney was the Panthers’ general manager from 2002-2012 and was fired for putting the Panthers in salary cap trouble with big contracts with little results. For owner Jerry Richardson, familiarity was obviously more important than past performance.

“I’ll make the right decisions for this organization, not only short-term, but long-term,” Hurney said Wednesday. “I can only do it one way. Full board. Full go. I am interim, and I have that role, but I’m going to attack it just like I would any other year. I’m going to attack it and do what I think is best for this organization both short-term and long-term.”

Since being ousted by the Panthers, Hurney took over part ownership of Charlotte, N.C.-based ESPN 730 radio and co-hosted a show. He obviously wanted to get back into the game and don’t be surprised to see him remain a contender past his “interim” title. Under Hurney the Panthers did make their first Super Bowl appearance, losing Super Bowl XXXVIII 32-29 to the Spygate Era New England Patriots.

“While we did a lot of things right, and I’ve realized we did do a lot of things right while I was here, we also made mistakes,” Hurney said. “And I think I’ve learned from those mistakes. And I think that that different perspective is going to help me a lot. Again, it still comes down to we have so many good people here. This isn’t about me. It’s about us. It’s a ‘we game.’ On the field, upstairs, it’s about people working together, and we certainly, coaching, personnel, business side, everybody in this organization, we have good people. I know a lot of ’em in that locker room. I know a lot of ’em. I’m familiar with the six captains. There are guys that were here and left and are back again. I know those guys. I know the principles and the philosophies of this organization. I’m proud to be apart of it. I’m excited to get going. There’s a lot to do.”

Lions’ Armonty Bryant suspended

Tuesday evening the Detroit Lions got some bad news of their own. Defensive end Armonty Bryant has been suspended for the first four games of the 2017 NFL season in violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

This isn’t Bryant’s first run-in with the league. Last year he took two suspensions, four games and three games, for violating the league’s performance enhancing drugs policy. In all, he appeared in five games with the Lions, recorded five tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble. Depending on how the Lions feel about their depth on the defensive line, he may be set loose into the wind before camp.

Mike Williams to start training camp on PUP list

Los Angeles Chargers first round pick Mike Williams will likely miss at least the start of training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Williams injured his back early in the off-season. He just recently had an epidural to help with the pain, but has so far avoided surgery.

What that means and if Williams will be ready to participate in any training camp or the regular season is anyone’s guess. ESPN is speculating he might need surgery. If he does, he’ll miss his entire rookie season.

The Chargers picked Williams in the first round of April’s NFL draft. During Clemson’s National Title run, Williams caught 98 passes for 1,361 yards and 11 touchdowns just a year out from ACL repair surgery.

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Written by Adam Greene

Adam Greene is a writer and photographer based out of East Tennessee. His work has appeared on Cracked.com, in USA Today, the Associated Press, the Chicago Cubs Vineline Magazine, AskMen.com and many other publications.

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