The Tony Dungy/Rich McKay era, which put an emphasis on character, is long over for the Bucs, but if we ever needed a reminder, it was when the team re-signed tight end Jerramy Stevens in May. He’s a 6-foot-7-inch, 260-pound stud who can block and catch (and who coach Jon Gruden started figuring more prominently into the offensive scheme late last season). On the other hand, Stevens is a poster boy for off-field problems — his list of misdeeds and alleged misdeeds is way, way too long to detail here. Suffice to say that they include a second-degree assault (armed with a deadly weapon), a couple of DUIs, reckless driving and hit-and-run (after crashing into a nursing home). In 2000, he was accused of sexually assaulting a girl on the campus of the University of Washington (despite considerable evidence, prosecutors declined to bring charges due to “confusing and conflicting statements”). Stevens is suspended for the first two games of this season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. But, hey, he has the potential to be really good in the Red Zone. That’s apparently good enough for Gruden.
This article appears in Sep 10-16, 2008.
