No one has ever accused Green Bay Packers’ defensive end Johnny Jolly of being a Rhodes Scholar, but he’s probably a little dumber than we thought.
Jolly, who’s trial for possession of 200 grams of codeine was supposed to start today, but got postponed until May 26, received more bail restrictions after prosecutors submitted several examples of Jolly engaging in behavior that suggests he violated terms of his bond.
Those terms state that Jolly is to abstain from drugs and alcohol (which made me wonder if drugs were legal in Texas). Jolly, however, doesn’t seem to care, as Greg Bedard reports.
Prosecutors today presented judge Mike Anderson with a flyer that said Jolly would be hosting a party at a Houston club, The Blue Door, on May 7th. Jolly was pictured on the cover with his hat tilted, flashing a sign with one hand.
The prosecutor also presented recent photos from a website that showed Jolly at various parties with alcoholic drinks in his hand.
It’s as if Johnny Jolly is unaware of the existence of the party hound known as Ben Roethlisberger.
Johnny Jolly, Roger Goodell.
Roger, Johnny Jolly.
It’s just this type of repeated disregard for rules and the image of the NFL that makes the league bring the suspension hammer down.
In the meantime, Jolly’s immature and idiotic behavior has resulted in these conditions being added to the terms of his bond.
- Jolly must submit a hair follicle to be tested for drugs and alcohol by a lab within the next seven days.
- He is now subject to a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew;
- Jolly was ordered not to attend any place that has drugs or alcohol;
- He must go to an evaluation center to determine whether he has issues with drugs for alcohol, and then abide by any recommendations for treatment.
It’s this type of behavior that has me souring on Jolly by the day. It’s also behavior that showed up on the field during the 2009 season. During the Packers’ November loss the Vikings, Jolly headbutted Vikings’ running back Chester Taylor, which drew a personal foul penalty.
Jolly’s response?
“I’m playing on the edge, playing with one every game,” Jolly said. “They made the call. It was a call they could have called either way. It is what it is.
“I play like that every game. It ain’t going to change from here. The next game I’m going to be out there playing hard. It is what it is. That didn’t (cost us) the game. That’s it.”
I’m going to guess his response to this legal situation is going to be something similar to the “who cares?”, “who, me?” response he blathered after handing the Vikings a crucial first down.
It kind of makes you wonder where Jolly got this attitude from. Usually, you have to be an all-time great or at least one of the best at your position to act like an entitled jack-off who’s bigger than everything and everyone (see: Tiger Woods, Terrell Owens).
Jolly has been a starter for all of two seasons and in his four NFL seasons he’s registered a total of 113 tackles and 2 sacks. Not exactly a world beater.
Maybe it’s because Jolly is delusional. He ain’t gonna let The Man get him down, or so he said after he was re-indicted last December.
“Man I don’t worry about nothing,” Jolly said. “I’ve got God on my side. I can’t trust The Man, but as long as I’ve got God, I don’t have nothing to worry about.”
Here’s what else I have to wonder — if I’m souring on Johnny Jolly, what must the Packers be thinking?
The Packers drafted defensive end Mike Neal in the second round of this year’s draft and they’ve moved nose tackle Ryan Pickett to left defensive end, which is where Jolly started last season. I was quick to say Neal’s selection likely signaled the end of Cullen Jenkins’ term with the Packers — Jenkins’ contract expires after the 2010 season — but in light of recent events, it’s entirely possible the Packers could wash their hands of Jolly.
The team has the defensive line depth to do so, and Jolly’s attitude doesn’t exactly make him Green Bay Packers people. In fact, he’d probably be a better fit with the Oakland Raiders or Dallas Cowboys.
Couple that with the distinct possibility Jolly will be suspended for at least four games by Goodell and it’s not outside the realm of possibility the Packers could pull Jolly’s tender, making him a free agent.
From a football standpoint, it would be nice to have Jolly around, but the guy’s act is wearing thin. I think it’s time to ask if the headache is really worth it.
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