Gruden on Cato June's arrest, Michigan job

Bucs coach Jon Gruden didn't seem to appreciate the tone of questions from a local television reporter about linebacker Cato June's arrest and the coaching opening at Michigan during Gruden's news conference Monday at One Buc Place.

Asked "Does Cato June have a drinking problem?'' at the start of the news conference, Gruden gave the reporter a hard stare before responding, "I don't have any comment on that right now other than we're very concerned. We're getting all the facts. It's a serious matter.''

June was arrested in Tampa at 3 a.m. and charged with DUI, hours after the Bucs' 31-7 victory over the Falcons Sunday in Atlanta.

The same reporter followed with a question about whether Gruden allows his players to drink on the team plane.

"I'm not going to comment,'' Gruden said. "I have a strong opinion on Cato June. He's a great young man and as we gather all the information, we'll make an announcement.''

Later in the news conference, the reporter asked Gruden about a report linking him to the head coaching job at Michigan following Lloyd Carr's retirement.

"I really don't know who you are, man,'' a perturbed Gruden responded, "but you're throwing me some fastballs.''

Addressing the question, Gruden said, "I have what I think is the best job in all of football. I'm very happy to be here.''

Gruden said the Bucs will address June's situation ''privately'' and didn't believe it would be a distraction for his team, which is 6-4 and leads the NFC South by two games over New Orleans and Carolina entering Sunday's game against Washington.

June isn't the only current or former Buc to have DUI-related problems this year.

Ex-Bucs receiver David Boston was arrested and charged with DUI in August in Pinellas Park after police found him slumped over the wheel of his SUV with the car running and in drive. A urinalysis later revealed that Boston had GHB in his system, and the Bucs released him.

Tight end Jerramy Stevens was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $3,160 after being convicted of DUI in Scottsdale, Ariz. Stevens was arrested in March, a month before he was signed by the Bucs.

(Pictured: Cato June. AP photo/Hillsborough County Jail. Click to enlarge.)

Comments

[Clad]

Stephen,
Since you and Rick are on the team plane, what is the answer to the question of whether the Bucs allow players to drink on the plane on the flight home after a victory? Gruden deflected the question but I was wondering if you could answer. tks

[Holly]

Another football loser. Can't the NFL hire something outside the realm of thugs, losers, drug addicts, or just plain criminals? If the public is stupid enough to support this rubbish, they deserve to have the Bucs take their bucks!

[Jeremy]

Holly, does that mean every citizen out there who gets arrested for the same thing should have their name and the name of their company thrown through the mud? That would be like saying if the host or hostess at Bern's got busted for DUI no one should go there to eat. The Bucs are made up of more than one LB and many more players and non-players throughout the business, and one person's actions should not condemn an entire group. People like you should be careful about speaking in absolutes, or speaking at all in my opinion...hopefully you'll never make your first mistake in life, it'd be a sad day I'm sure.

[cal]

Holly how can you make judgement on the entire NFL or any other franchise for that matter based on one person. How narrow minded could you be. Granted it was a bad decision to drive after drinking, but you need to be careful what you say about people, the terms you used to describe the players is very judgemental and if you read your bible we are not to judge.

[Lisa]

DUI is a serious concern. Thankfully, noone was hurt during this incident. People need to think about what they are doing.

But I will say that unfortunately, many people make this mistake, thinking they aren't drunk and will be OK on the road, only to find out that they are not. If this is his first offense, he should be treated like everyone else and lose his license and do community service and whatever the other requirments may be. However, he will hopefully learn from this mistake and never repeat it again.

Based on the number of people that are caught driving while under the influence, I think most people would be shocked by some of the people that have made the mistake. Hopefully, they learn from it and don't repeat it, and thankfully in this instance, no one was hurt.

[MELISSA]

So according to the reporters comments to Gruden anyone who gets drunk has a drinking problem. Now does that mean you drink once a yr and you get drunk let's say on New Year's... this means you have a drinking prob all the sudden?!?! I am tired of person's who are not licensed to diganose a person doing so! Until your a Dr. that specializes in addictions don't state what a person may or may not have!

[DR]

Holly, i'll make it simple...you're an idiot. The DUI should be taken seriously, but there are a lot of people that have gotten DUIs. You probably work with some.
With your attitude, you should look into moving out of the country. Have you looked at our Congressmen's track record? How 'bout the President? Those guys are big piles of crap! At least football players entertain us!

[DR]

Holly, I just ordered a Cato June jersey and I'm a Cowboys fan. Thanks a lot, you made me do that with your stupid comment. I may also pencil in Cato June for President next year when I vote.

[Melissa]

Cato was celebrating a big win and his birthday. How many of us were also drinking yesterday during the game. Cato messed up by getting behind the wheel. So I guess my point is "let the one that has not sinned cast the first stone"!

[AL]

Lets not forget that it was his birthday also. I am not saying that's an excuse, but it does give reason to why a little excessive drinking was done. and also I wonder how intoxicated he was. if was just a little over the limit, it should not be that big of a deal.

[Tom]

DR, you're cracking me up today. Let's face it, 90% of us have probably to much to drink at one time or another. I did last weekend.

However, this is a serious offense because it endangers the public. I just think people could save themselves a whole lot of problems by just calling a cab. I live in Hyde Park and, man, don't even think about coming down here drinking and driving. The cops are everywhere! I see people get busted every single night! Iorio has really put a crack down on DUI's.

[JD]

What a load of garbage about the Michigan story. Anyone who's ever seen how the college football coach rumor mill works knows that eventually, about 50 people are named as "potential candidates" for any big-time college job. Most of them are just wild guesses that end up in print anyway, thanks to the lack of journalistic integrity that the local Bucs beat media have made so famous the last couple of years.

Who was that guy, JP Peterson's flunky?

[Skylar]

I actually agree with DR on this one. Both the President and Vice President have been arrested for DUI, and I guarantee they didn't do any community service (just like now while in office.) On top of that, the rap sheet coming out of DC is very scary and yet we still voted them into the most venerable jobs in the land. Typical two-party talk by Holly; ignorant and apathetic.

[Whit]

Gruden himself had a DUI in Oakland. June's just having his right of passage into the NFL. Who was that reporter? They just beat a division opponent on the road, they're 6-4, and that's the only thing they could come up with?

[Jacob]

In response to Holly claiming that Cato is a thug, I have to tell you that that is a false statement. Listen, Cato made a mistake. This man has played that last 4 or 5 years of his career for the greatest, and most respected coach in the NFL today, Tony Dungy. Being a current resident in the Indianapolis area I can tell you that Cato did a lot for the community and was one of the most respectable people on the Colts team. He is in a bad situation in Tampa Bay, with a bunch of bad people. Cato made a mistake and has to pay the consequences for that mistake. The thing that he really needs to do is get out of the Bucs organization. That franchise has done nothing after Tony Dungy left, and has hired horrible coaches and players. They hired a Raiders head coach, and signed Raiders players. You can call them Raiders south. Poorly managed organization that had so much going for it. Truely is sad.

[Drew]

Hope the Prez didn't invade Irag after knocking off a keg or two.

[Tom]

DR and Skylar, how can you make fun of the greatest president since Nixon and Ulysses S. Grant? You guys can't appreciate how fortunate you are to have a record national deficit, a weakened dollar, an unstable middle east, secret prisons, wiretapping, an unjust war, emergence of Iran and the Taliban, etc. Hey, I got my $300 check in the mail 7 seven years ago. I bought me a hammock with it, too.

God bless W! How can you hate a guy that caught one of the largest bass in Texas history?

[Big Nasty]

Hey Holly, do yourself a favor and stay in the kitchen ... let the men talk football! There's certainly some dishes or pans with your name on 'em that need to be washed!

Ohh yeah, you can see my blubber butt at Thee Winghouse pounding beers with the other losers who paint their faces!
Wooooooh!!

[Damien]

How in the name of everything holy did this turn into a political debate? A lot of people have had DUI's, myself included, but I don't think such a mistake completely rebrands your character. Those with the holier-than-thou attitudes need to give it a rest, and those that want to compare an NFL linebacker with the president should probably find a more open forum on CNN.com, or some other left wing media organization.

And, for those that don't like the Bucs anymore, that's cool, too. I guess if you have nothing objective to offer, and just want to regurgitate a bunch of heated hate comments, do us (by us, I mean people who read the news to stay informed) a favor and keep the negative and useless comments off these posts. Thank you.

[Chris]

Jacob, what the hell? You make comments about this team after our young defense gelled yesterday? You realy are the type of negative person that I think plain sucks!

[George L Hicks]

I think the radio stations and media needs to not blow this sistutation out of porposions. Mr Cato is a grat additional to this Improving Defense as it starting to Jell towards the playoffs run. I think this is a team decision, and lets see what actual happen, and what will occurred down the road. I think that the local Law Inforcements should give these players a break. Everytime one of the sports figure gwts in Trouble. It Makes big News. I stay slow down Media. GO BUCS

[Melissa]

Hey Jacob, stay up in Indy please, we love our bucs, oh we luv Dungy also, but you can keep him if you CAN!

[j.k.]

Why isn't the reporter asking the questions identified? Are they afraid their ratings will drop or what?

[steve]

Holly is an idiot or a saints fan. take your pick.

I love football and watch it every waking moment. I dont care about off the field just what they do on. If they want to drink go ahead. My kids do not look to sportsfigures as role models and hope others do the same

[Drew]

Cato is a great linebacker! Derrick couldn't have stated it any better in saying Cato is a class act, that slipped a little bit, and the team is there to support him. So we as fans should feel compelled to supoort Cato. Cato learn from this simple mistake, grow from it, and move on to the greatness we see in you.

As a fan, I support you Cato.

[Reasonable Man]

Remember innocent until proven guilty. How about everyone cooling your jets and letting due process and the courts figure this one out. Judge ye not, lest ye be judge.

[Matt]

Everybody makes mistakes and everyone deserves a second chance. This was Cato's first blemish, and hopefully Holly's learns from her whoop'n too.

Or like the ref's on the weekend learned from the Pittman incompletion, or the Cato June down by contact, or the Dunn fumble...my god how did at least one of those not go our way.

[Skylar]

Have you ever wondered why when you bring up facts on an open forum, it becomes a "liberal medium?" Actually, I'm an independent and that is why I can make fun of all of you.

[Dave T]

Bunch holy rollin' hipocrites.

[aaron]

why didnt you guys come to boston and stevens defense when this stuff happened to them?

[DR]

Aaron, you actually have to ask that question? Boston is a repeat drug offender and was asleep on drugs at a stoplight. Stevens is a dirty piece of garbage that blew over a .2 which is jail time in most states and he will serve jail time as well. There is a big difference with Cato June because this is his first offense and is a well respected football player and person in this league.

[aaron]

i just think a lot of these people are hypocrites. personally i dont condemn him at all. i just think that if it wasnt a star linebacker for us they would be calling for his head. what if this was sammy davis or michael spurlock? what would the fans say then.

[DR]

Tom, i got my check too and felt guilty for voting for Homer Simpson. The President has done a great job! Who cares about a national deficit when our loyal oil companies are making $100 Billion profit per quarter. They have done wonderful things with the money they have made. I feel like a true American paying $3.10 at the pumps. I know G-dub would fight in this glorious war if he could, because he did his best back when he was in the National Guard. He's a true American hero.

[Skylar]

dittos