On September 21, the week of New York's big divisional game at Miami, Braylon Edwards was arrested for DWI. He allegedly had a BAC of 0.16%, twice the legal limit in New York. He had been at an event for Jerricho Cotchery's charity that evening.
I have seen many people write it off as simply a blip on the radar they are convinced will not happen again. I simply cannot accept that just yet. Everybody makes mistakes and is entitled to a second chance. Messing up on that second chance is a major warning sign. The problem is that Braylon already was on his second chance. He had legal problems in Cleveland. When he came to the Jets, he was supposed to be on his best behavior.
I have seen some say he might have been all right. That's not the point. A man of his size needs 8 to 9 drinks to hit 0.16%. Some people might have 2 to 3 and have a legitimate case they did not realize they had too much. Hitting twice the legal limit as allegedly happened here would not fall into that category. When somebody takes the wheel in that situation, one must know that one is putting oneself at risk of arrest, no matter whether one feels all right to drive. This is particularly true when driving in the morning before the sun is up with tinted windows, a situation which pretty much screams, "Pull me over!"
Braylon was on his second chance. He was allegedly out with Donte Stallworth the night Stallworth allegedly hit a man driving over the legal limit. That should have left a serious impression. He should have been motivated to stay clean with a new contract hanging in the balance. Heck, the league even offers free car service to players to avoid situations like the one alleged here.
I do not like blowing one situation out of proportion, but I would need to see more than four months of upstanding behavior if I was willing to commit to a guy with a big long term deal.