When Keeping it Real Goes Wrong: Cut Over a TMZ Story?
Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Lucky Whitehead supposedly missed a court date for a shoplifting charge in Virginia — until he didn’t. Even after Whitehead was cleared of all wrongdoing, he was still cut, and the Cowboys think he should just deal with it
For a guy named “Lucky,” former Dallas Cowboys wideout/kick return specialist Lucky Whitehead just had one of the unluckiest days of his life. On Monday of this week, a report came down that a Prince William County, Virginia area judiciary system had issued a warrant for Whitehead’s arrest as a result of a “failure to appear” in court. This court date in question was said to be the result of an arrest made upon Whitehead earlier in the summer for shoplifting from a “WaWa” convenience store. As a result of the warrant being issued, the Dallas Cowboys released the young player, making him a free agent.
Three cheers to the Cowboys for disciplining a player for his actions, thus showing him and others that they are not indeed invincible, right? WRONG. Wrong for many reasons in fact, with the first being a lack of uniformity in policy. As recently as, say last week, star running back Ezekiel Elliott was involved in yet another incident that made headlines. Another TMZ Sports special, Elliot was said to be the aggressor in a situation that resulted in another person ending up with a broken nose. Upon reporting the incident to the authorities, the victim and witnesses say it was the “Dallas Cowboys running back” who was responsible for the attack. Upon responding to that news, the Cowboy’s brass said something pretty much amounting to “we’l look into it.” This again is the most recent in a long line of incidents involving the young star, as the NFL just wrapped up an investigation into an alleged domestic abuse situation involving the ball carrier. After all of this, Elliot is still not only on the team, but the starter until (or even if) he is suspended for his latest mishap.
Fast forward one day, and there is yet another dastardly twist in this plot. Not only did the Cowboys show impartial unfairness in cutting Lucky Whitehead so quickly, the Virginia area court has now rescinded their warrant for him, as they have concluded it was a case of mistaken identity. Great.
In a statement that’s being passed around most media outlets, it is said that the actual assailant was able to give authorities all of Whitehead’s actual information upon arrest, including his social security number and date of birth. This is not the only bit of disturbing news though, as Whitehead was quoted by Dallas news outlets as saying that no one in the organization had his back, and that they made him feel as though they thought he was lying about who committed a crime. In response to the most recent developments, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said that even in light of the most recent findings, the team stands by its decision and that thinks this is what’s best for the organization. The coach also made sure to say he thinks a fresh start and “clean sleight” would be what’s best for Whitehead and his future.
Although people and organizations need to be honest about the decisions they make, the point of this is simple — pick a lane. The Dallas Cowboys have not only made a mockery of themselves and the league this week, but they have shown and proven the mere ineptitude and dysfunctionality that has so often been associated with them over the years. How can you rightfully justify, coddle, and continue to tolerate the actions of someone like Ezekiel Elliott or sign a woman abuser like Greg Hardy, and then cut a man for something he didn’t do? What further worsens the situation is that the Cowboys continue to try and justify the situation by saying past events led them to their decision. If that was the case, Whitehead should have been cut in the past, because as far as I am concerned, he was cut for nothing. The Cowboys continue to illustrate and display some serious organizational flaws that must be addressed in the near future.
