Recently, the New York Jets traded draft picks with the San Diego Chargers for their extremely talented cornerback, Antonio Cromartie. One of the reasons San Diego parted ways with Cromartie was because of his off-the-field issues.
In case you hadn’t heard, let me refresh your memory. He has, get this, seven children from six different women in five different states. I don’t think I’ve BEEN to five different states in my life. This guy has planted his seed in five. Not to mention, he’s only 25 years old. And currently, he’s been named in five paternity suits in the past two years. In short, he’s denying at least five of his children. Classy.
When the Jets acquired Cromartie, they fronted him $500,000 to take care of said suits.
So the question remains, would you sacrifice the the “character” of your team in an effort to improve on the field? Now granted, Cromartie did not commit a crime (yet) and isn’t exactly a bad guy. He’s just stupid. But where do you draw the line as to who you will get to acquire talent?
Listening to sports talk radio in New York, it seems that Jet fans are split 50-50 regarding the trade. On the one hand, some believe that getting Cromartie vastly improves the Jets secondary and he bookends nicely with All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis (no children). Although they don’t condone his behavior, talent is talent and it shouldn’t be a problem if it doesn’t affect his performance.
The opposition feels much differently. They feel that the Jets are a class organization and bringing on Cromartie compromises the character of the franchise and his talent does not make up for that.
Each side makes fine points. But personally, I agree with the former. Look, it’s clear that Mr. Cromartie has a vendetta against all types of birth control and has become the deadbeat dad version of Johnny Appleseed, but many have done far worse. The Jets acquired him to cover wide receivers, not mentor inner-city kids. It’s not as if his children take up seven more roster spots.
People need to stop acting holier-than-thou when it comes to their favorite teams. In the end, Cromartie is just an idiot. Someone who didn’t think past his dick’s needs. But just remember this, if he picks off Tom Brady in Week Whatever to win the game, all will be forgiven. Fans care about wins. Not character.
