What's Next For The Dallas Cowboys And Nolan Carroll?
FRISCO (105.3 THE FAN) - As the story of Dallas Cowboys cornerback Nolan Carroll's DWI arrest unfolds, more questions arise.
What we think we know about the night in question:
The just-acquired free agent threw himself a party in Dallas' uptown district at a club called "Sidebar.''
Carroll committed a traffic violation about 2:20 a.m. in the 2220 block of McKinney Avenue - at one point possibly directed the wrong way on a one-way street. After allegedly failing a field sobriety test he was taken to the Dallas County Jail where he declined the breathalyzer test.
Carroll posted bond at 2:45 p.m. Monday afternoon and was released.
What we know we know about Carroll:
At age 30, he knows better than to commit not only a violation of this nature but also to violate a standard law of NFL behavior: Don't make yourself into a problem. Carroll's mother was a Navy officer and is the former Lieutenant Governor of Florida. His father was a Senior Master Sergeant in the Air Force. So this is not an rudderless kid from a troubled background.
At the same time, we all "know better'' than to operate a vehicle while under the influence … and in the twist of irony that threatens lives, many of us nevertheless risk sacrificing that "knowledge'' with the very act of being under the influence.
Therefore, when we point out that the Cowboys, the NFL and the NFLPA all offer programs to give rides for free to players … we are forgetting that such a rational decision isn't always made after one's had one too many.
Carroll is not a "name player'' to the casual fan, but he is signed to a three-year, $10-million contract to leave the Eagles for the Cowboys and he has been lining up as a starter in Dallas' revamped secondary during OTAs (which continue today at The Star in Frisco). Observers may wish the Cowboys to cut ties with anyone guilty of "misbehavior'' while others might observe that such a hard line would require Dallas to dismiss way too many football players.
Should the Cowboys opt to "send a message'' by releasing Carroll, they could do so after June 1. They would save themselves his base salary of $1 million, eat $1 million of his $3 mil bonus this year, and see the remaining $2 million carry over to the 2018 cap as dead money.
The Cowboys say they "are aware of the situation and are in the process of gathering information at this time,'' which of course, is a statement they are motivated to release all too often.
The next Nolan Carroll statement might come from the NFL, which can hand down a two-game suspension for such a violation.
Nolan Carroll via Snapchat on his DWI: 'Everybody gets knocked down in life. Everybody bobs when they shoulda weaved, no exceptions.
But remember that YOU are responsible for how you respond to adversity. You can lay flat or you can choose to bounce back.'
