What to do with Torrie?

Seems like we've had this conversation before, doesn't it?

Torrie Cox gets himself in some hot water and the Bucs are faced with deciding whether to keep him. This time, Cox has violated the NFL's substance abuse policy and has been slapped with a four-game suspension. This comes after a pair of DUI arrests between 2004 and 2005.

Reading the legal mumbo-jumbo in the policy (that alone took half the day, it seems) it appears that Cox is in Stage 2 of the program based on the length of his suspension. That means he's been under scrutiny from the league for a while now. But the Bucs are, for the moment, standing behind him. They've shown a lot of dedication to a guy whose biggest contribution has been on special teams (where, to be fair, he is particularly good).

For his part, Cox kind of shot himself in the foot here. He had a shot to get on the field a little more with the nickel back position up for grabs (remember Juran Bolden was released earlier in the summer). Now, the likely scenario is Phillip Buchanon takes ownership of that job, allowing him to build on a solid second half in 2006.

Whatever Cox's exact violation was, we wish him the best. If nothing else, it's a good bet the $140,000-plus this four-game suspension will cost him should get his attention.

What about you? Do you think the Bucs will keep him? Our best bet is they'll wait to see how things play out in the secondary before making any decision on his future.

Thoughts?

Comments

I think this is a great opportunity for the Bucs to make an example of a player and show the team that defiance is unacceptable behavior.

[Russell]

I find it a little curious that the NFL doesn't permit public access to the content of its Substance Abuse Policy (even though it is accessible to the media through a special website). What are they hiding here? It's hard to make a judgment about Torrie without knowing more. That's probably how the NFL likes it.

[Bill]

I have a picture of Torrie standing with my kids during a tour of the Buc's facility earlier this year. While I don't really know him, I will say that he could have ignored the request, as Derrick Brooks did, but chose to stand there with a real smile on his face. I've also seen his contributions in both practice and games and in my humble opinion, he is pretty good.

It's sad that he has an alleged problem with alcohol, but who among us is perfect? I think the Bucs will make the right decision; they live with him and are aware of his contributions. They will certainly put the needs of the team first. Personally, I hope he is able to get through this episode and tighten up his personal life to avoid these incidents in the future.

[Fred Augat]

I have been following football for a long time but I cannot ever remember so many players in so much trouble throughout the league. This behavior puts the game in a bad light and while no one is perfect, something needs to be done.

I would think that the league, the teams and the NFLPA should forge a solid front on this issue and put forth a more pervasive and forceful policy and let all the players know that their careers may be placed in jeapordy because of behavorial issues.

Then enforce it.

[Kurt]

Doesn't he pretty much suck anyway?

[JC]

with the young additions they've made through the draft, I would think the Bucs could replace Cox on special teams. His value on D is nil with Buchanon and hopefully Zemaitis above him on the depth chart. I say let him go.