Titus Young and Nick Fairley were whisked past reporters as the Detroit Lions finished practice Tuesday. The duo artfully dodged questioning, but coach Jim Schwartz took time to talk about two of his young players who have generated headlines for all the wrong reasons this offseason.
"I think what we have here is a case of a few guys tainting the reputations of a lot of others," Schwartz told the Detroit Free Press. "... A couple guys haven't learned, and that is a concern, but they are still young and there's still a lot in front of them, and we are hopeful that they can ... put this behind them."
Fairley was arrested this weekend for the second time this offseason. Police nabbed the defensive tackle for driving while intoxicated and eluding authorities.
Young returned to practice Tuesday after his week-long absence from organized team activities. The wide receiver apologized to teammates for reportedly punching safety Louis Delmas two weeks ago.
Schwartz hopes Young has turned the corner.
"(Young) had an outstanding day of practice today," Schwartz told the newspaper. "That doesn't erase the incidents that have occurred, and it doesn't change the process that we're going to have for him to stay in good standing, not just with the team but with his teammates."
Veteran wide receiver Nate Burleson has seen the Lions' reputation come under fire this offseason. He spoke honestly about the toll it has taken on a team that's hoping for more than just a playoff appearance this season.
"We don't want to be one of those quote-unquote teams labeled as bad boys," he told the team's official website. "The Bad Boys are something different in Detroit."
