Back in April, when the Detroit Lions' count for offseason arrests sat at four, quarterback Matthew Stafford had this to say about his team:
"(Coach Jim Schwartz said) just we've come so far, we don't want anything to hold us back. And I think everybody knows that," Stafford told the Detroit Free Press. "We're a mature team. Some of the guys that were having troubles off the field were younger guys, but they'll figure it out, and we'll be there to help them along."
That maturity appeared to be missing inside Nick Fairley's Cadillac Escalade on Sunday morning, when the defensive tackle was arrested by Alabama State Troopers for driving under the influence and attempting to elude police.
It marked Fairley's second arrest in two months, coming on the heels of his marijuana possession bust on April 3. He is one of three members of the Lions' 2011 draft class to be arrested a total of five times since the end of the 2011 season.
Fairley could be facing league discipline for his latest transgression, and it will be interesting to see how Schwartz handles this in-house. As head coach, matters of team discipline reflect back on him.
Last week, he praised Fairley for the work he'd been doing in the offseason. Now you have to wonder what tact Schwartz will take for a talented first-round pick who -- to this point -- has been more trouble than he's worth.
