Travis Thomas: The Dallas Cowboys; The New Motley Crew
According to The Oxford English Dictionary, in 1959 The New York Times supplied the first recorded use of the phrase: elephant in the room. Here we are 56 years later and that term still perfectly describes the perplexity surrounding the Dallas Cowboys.
With the signing of undrafted free agent La'el Collins the Cowboys have yet again put "winning-at-all-costs" above decency. Nobody questions Collins talent level, many believe he would have been a first round draft pick in last week's draft. But let's examine why he wasn't selected, not only in the first round, but period.
La'el Collins was being investigated for the death of his pregnant ex-girlfriend Britney Mills. While not a suspect, he has yet to be fully cleared. A paternity test showed Collins was not the father of Mills' child, and he also passed a polygraph test. Mills' child survived the shooting but died a week later after being born in the hospital. All of this is drama that most teams would avoid, and the fact that Collins is still not cleared would lead me to believe that perhaps he isn't an innocent bystander here.
Ironically the teams that still lined up to sign this kid all have had character issues somewhere along the way. The Miami Dolphins, who are on the heels of the Richie Incognito bullying scandal, the Buffalo Bills who signed Incognito (I can't make this stuff up people), and of course, The Dallas Cowboys.
The ladder has always adhered to this "win at all cost" mentality. We all remember those Cowboys Championship teams in the 90's weren't exactly choir boys. But this present day team is far worse. Along with Collins, the Cowboys signed troubled pass rusher Greg Hardy who can't even play for the first 10 games this season because of domestic violence violations. Another draftee who fell from grace was pass rusher Randy Gregory who the Cowboys drafted in the second round. Gregory was touted as a high first round pick but a failed drug test and character issues scared smart teams away.
I think these moves will eventually bite Dallas and other teams just like them in the butt. It's not my job to judge anybody, however, it is my job to give my opinion on things that I feel are wrong. The Dallas Cowboys are clearly ignoring any direction from the moral compass of life, and I suspect they will end up lost in it ultimately.
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