Jeff Reed

I wanted to make a separate entry for this.

When I first heard that Jeff Reed was arrested after Sunday's game, I thought, "Crap. That means he'll be suspended by the team for the next game." Sure, that also meant that Matt Spaeth would be suspended, because he played a part in the altercation with police and was also charged, but, uh, he's Matt Spaeth.

Then it came to light that Reed would not be suspended. And I thought that was strange. Santonio Holmes got suspended for getting arrested in 2008 and it turned his season around. So, I figured that was team policy. Get arrested, get suspended. I guess that's not the case.

Now, I trust Mike Tomlin. I think that he's a very reputable man and a stand up guy. When he explained that he suspended Santonio because he didn't have enough time to gather information before game time. News of the Holmes arrest hit on 10/24/08 and he was suspended for the following game against the Giants on 10/26/08. Tomlin announced the suspension on 10/25, one day after the news broke.

Reed was arrested on 10/18/09 and it was announced that he wouldn't be suspended on 10/20/09... two days later. So, two days is enough time to gather information, but one day is not? Sure, Holmes got arrested two days before kickoff, which is much different than getting arrested eight hours after kickoff for the previous week's game, but it seems like there is a double standard in play.

This is not to suggest that it's a race issue, because I don't think it is. I think it's a value issue. Even though the kicker position is largely reviled in the NFL, it's still a very valuable position. This decision means that Reed is more important to the team than Holmes. This decision means that, even though Reed got arrested and was clearly in the wrong, he has the advantage when he and the team go to the bargaining table before free agency starts and after the season ends.

I'm not sure that they played this right in terms of negotiation tactics, but I think they made the right decision if they're interested in winning the game on Sunday, which they obviously are.