Houston Texans: D’Onta Foreman arrest derails early momentum

Houston Texans running back D’Onta Foreman’s NFL career gets off to a bumpy start following charges in Austin, Texas.

One of the most hopeful stories coming out of the 2017 NFL Draft, rookie Houston Texans running back D’Onta Foreman may have a rough start to his NFL career — and it isn’t due to his ability on the football field. Foreman had the big eye of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell turn on him over the mid-July weekend when he was arrested for possession of marijuana and a firearm (per ESPN). He was released on bond.

The arrest in and of itself is never a good thing to have occur. Fortunately for Foreman and the Texans, it appears everything should be in order. The statement from Foreman’s attorney indicated that the marijuana was not his and that the firearm was lawfully carried, according to Pro Football Talk. Foreman is also reportedly open to a drug test to appease the NFL, via CBS Sports.

For Texans fans, this is a huge relief. Seeing a highly-touted third-round running back get picked up on possession of a drug (even if the perception around marijuana is changing) and a firearm is rarely a positive sign. Things could have been much worse, however.

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While this has all of the hallmarks of a non-story because of the assertions from Foreman and his lawyer, it is important to look at the broader narrative. Possession of drugs and firearms can set perceptions of NFL athletes for their entire careers. From Plaxico Burress’ accidental self-inflicted gunshot to James Harrison’s infamous photo holding two pistols to Shane Ray’s marijuana issues shortly before his NFL career began, these types of things tend to stick.

While nothing terrible has yet come from Foreman sitting in a car with acquaintances who had marijuana and his possessing a firearm, the conversation surrounding him will shift. This training camp will not just be about Foreman’s play on the field. It will be “Foreman, who had a run in with the law earlier this year, has put it behind him…”, or some other such derivative.

Everything Foreman did thus far appears to be legal from his end, and that should be recognized. But so should the narrative that begins to play out. A name is a brand in the world of professional sports and Foreman’s name is literally all he has until he starts to deliver on the football field. These kinds of stories pop up year after year and the NFL is not doing a good enough job of teaching young players the need to control the narrative about their lives and careers.

I may be making a mountain out of a molehill here, but this is not a fresh takeaway from this type of event. As the NFL continues to mature as the nation’s favorite professional sports league, it needs to become more professional.

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Goodell’s heavy-handed attempts at straightening out players get a lot of attention — just as he gives plenty of attention to young players with events like this. But there may need to be programmatic changes that can bolster the efforts of turning these athletes into true professionals who must manage their images on a daily basis.

For now, Goodell’s traditional discipline hangs in the air over Foreman.