It would seem that Michael Turner wanted to somehow compensate for the lack of speed he showed in Monday Night's Falcons win over the Denver Broncos.
So naturally, Turner decided it was a fine idea to drive almost 100 miles per hour down I-85 early Tuesday morning after a night of celebrating said victory.
It's thankfully something we don't see often from Falcons players. But with Turner being such a high profile player in the league, this will definitely affect the team going forward.
Players make mistakes. People make mistakes. I understand that.
But usually, and this is especially the case with NFL players, you have someone there looking out for your well-being. Did no one stop him? Say "hey man, this might not be a good idea"?
He was caught speeding down the highway after what only could have been a night out celebrating what was a fantastic victory on Monday Night, people knew what was going on.
What's more, Turner base salary this season is just over $5M. If you or I had that kind of money at our disposal, would it really be that hard for us to call a cab? A friend? A helicopter? I'm sure he could afford one.
It's blatant carelessness. If I can put on my faux-psychologist cap for a moment, perhaps Atlanta's feature back is feeling down because his production has slipped? His future isn't exactly bright any more.
And that leads me to one more interesting point in this whole ordeal. Turner only has 74 yards on 28 carries this year. With Jacquizz Rodgers seeing more and more time on the field, Turner's role as workhorse back has been diminishing rather quickly.
He's 30 years old, an age at which running backs typically decline, and his production in fact has been in sharp decline this season. Who's to say he makes it to the end of his contract? Who's to say that, at the end of this season, the Falcons decide he isn't worth the $5.5M he would make next year?
The possibility of a suspension is also present, although with this being Turner's first offense, I would hope that Roger Goodell could show some understanding. There's also the possibility that Goodell could be feeling at a lack of control amidst all this bounty scandal business and decide to make an example out of the Falcons back.
Regardless, Turner is doing himself no favors, and this arrest is just one in a long, long line of arrests dating back to last February for the NFL. C'mon man.
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