Mike Pouncey: The Center of Controversy
Almost all the main culprits in the “bullying” scandal have left or been exiled from the team, including the victim. However, there is one player that was called out in the Ted Wells report that has managed to keep his job on the team. That player is Mike Pouncey and lets not sugar coat the reason of why he is still on the team and everyone else directly accused of being involved in the scandal are gone; he is a young talented pro-bowl level Center, and the Dolphins are not good enough to force pro-bowl players to leave the team.
Unlike the rest of the players involved in the “bullying” scandal, Pouncey has also been in the media for other issues. During the Aaron Hernandez murder drama, Mike Pouncey was photographed wearing a “Free Hernandez” hat, which was immediately scrutinized by many football gambling fans. Then after the Phins selected Right Tackle Ja’Wuan James, Pouncey immediately posted a tweet joking about, that he couldn’t wait to receive his gifts from James. Then on Tuesday he told the media that he didn’t need the mandatory psychological evaluation, and that he has no regrets from the 2013 season. We get it, Pouncey is his own person and he likes to express his freedom of speech, even if it doesn’t coincide with what is deemed as acceptable in society. Honestly, that is fine, but unfortunately the fact is that Pouncey is a high profile athlete that has been involved with a forgettable “bullying” scandal, and everything he says and does is going to be analyzed under a microscope by the media. He needs to just keep his mouth shut, and focus on being one of the leaders of this football team.
He is having trouble with the first part of keeping his mouth shut, but he is actually doing a very good job at becoming a team leader. Over the past few weeks, multiple people in the Phins organization have given praise to Pouncey’s work ethic, and initiative in taking more of a leadership role in the team. In addition, at the first OTA session he looked bigger and stronger, and was one of the few players that looked like he was ready to start the NFL season today. Pouncey is an excellent football player, and he has proven, and shown his dedication to become better, now the next step is to become a leader on a team that is desperately in need of leadership.
