Kenny Britt's bound to be called a lot of things in Tennessee in the wake of his second arrest in two months.
An ex-Titan won't be one of them.
Barring further problems, Tennessee plans to hold on to its troubled and talented third-year receiver, according to a team source.
Britt must get act together fast
Kenny Britt's brushes with the law are hurting his image. If he doesn't figure things out off the field, it could spell the end to his time in Tennessee, says Steve Wyche. **More ...**
Britt, who doesn't turn 23 until September, was apprehended on Wednesday by narcotics officers in his native New Jersey after the police saw what they believed to be marijuana in the receiver's hand. Britt crushed the marijuana, rolled up in a cigar casing, before the officers could get to it, and a struggle followed, according to the police report.
The Rutgers product was charged with fourth-degree obstruction, fourth-degree tampering or fabricating evidence and third-degree resisting arrest with force. Britt was also involved in a police chase in April that led to felony charges, which were later reduced to misdemeanor careless driving charges, which he plead guilty to this week.
Britt's other previous brushes with the law include a bar fight in October that led to former Titans coach Jeff Fisher benching him for the first quarter of a game against the Eagles. Perhaps that situation best illustrates the Titans' dilemma -- Britt exploded for seven catches, 225 yards and three touchdowns in the final three quarters of that game, a Tennessee win.
Under Fisher, the Titans had a reputation for bending to help players with baggage -- Adam "Pacman" Jones, Albert Haynesworth and Randy Moss being recent examples. New coach Mike Munchak wants a more structured environment, and those in the organization expect him to come down hard on Britt whenever the three-month-old lockout ends.
That said, the Titans view Britt as the second best player, behind Chris Johnson, on their entire roster, and aren't ready to give up on him yet. The club considers him a potential top-five type of receiver, but also recognizes the obvious -- that Britt simply hasn't grown up and out of the reputation he had as an immature kid coming out of Rutgers.
Britt had 42 catches for 775 yards and nine touchdowns in just 12 games last year, and the Titans valued him enough that it was his injury and subsequent four-game absence that prompted the team to claim Moss off of waivers.
The league has said that players like Britt, who have incidents during the lockout, will be subjected to the personal conduct policy whenever the 2011 league year begins.
Follow Albert Breer on Twitter @albertbreer.
