Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star landed the first interview that Colts owner Jim Irsay gave after his arrest and visit to rehab earlier this year a short time after Kravitz described Irsay as a “sick, sick man” who needed help.
Kravitz’s take was one of many cited as showing Irsay more sympathy in light of his drug use than is usually shown to NFL players who have failed tests or gotten arrested, something that came up again last week when the NFL suspended Colts wide receiver LaVon Brazill for a year because of substance abuse violations. Kravitz had a different reaction on Twitter than he did when Irsay got in trouble.
“Either Brazill has an addiction problem or he’s really, really REALLY dumb,” Kravitz tweeted. “Don’t know which, to be honest.”
That doesn’t mean that Kravitz thinks the Colts should treat Brazill any differently or that he’s not aware of the potential for hypocrisy for him or the organization.
Kravitz has apparently decided on the question raised in his Twitter post, writing in the Star that “a person who continually tests positive while throwing away their career has a problem that goes behind being an irresponsible knucklehead” and that Brazill should be extended the same support that the Colts have given Irsay and linebacker Robert Mathis this offseason.
Whether you like it or not, the standards are different for owners and players when it comes to drugs and most other things in the NFL. That’s not going to change whether the Colts offer Brazill a helping hand or kick him out the door at their earliest convenience, but it’ll be a lot harder to find much to like about the way the team has handled the dual situations this offseason if they opt for door No. 2.
