2012 NFL Offseason Arrests

Rosters are bigger

 

This is the most obvious explanation.

Anyway, the rate at which NFL players get arrested is still lower than the general population, especially when you consider that young black men are more likely to get pinched for little shit that young men of other races for little shit like fights and dime bags and drunk & disorderly. Plus, NFL players seem to have an unhealthy affinity for Miami Beach (probably because South Florida produces so much talent), and MBPD is one of the shittier big city police departments in the country.

 

Jason Kidd was signed by the Knicks and within days was out at "da club" getting smashed and doing this to his car in the Hamptons:



An NYPD cop said most people would be dead or severely injured. Ironically, he took out local Cablevision service...the company owned by his new bosses.

 

He's lucky to be alive looking at that mangled wreck.

 

FWIW, it looks better than Charliedavismobile.

 

Minerva, if you get a chance to watch a documentary named "Go Tigers!" you will find many answers to your questions. It's about Massilon High School in Ohio and follows a few players for a season.

 

Do you have any stats? How does the rate of arrests/player ratio compare between the NBA and the NFL, for example? And how do we know that blacks are arrested at a higher rate? A bunch of guys in the database you linked are white (Julian Edelman, David Diehl, Matt Prater). I believe about 2/3 of NFL players are black. Just because most of the players getting arrested are black doesn't mean the ratio is that much out of whack. We'd have to break down the numbers to see if it is out of line with the demographics of the NFL population.

 

Speaking generally, many players come from tough areas and/or difficult family situations and in the offseason when they don't have the structure of being in the team facility and needing to stick to a set schedule, some players don't handle it well. Some want to cut loose a bit and have fun before heading back to training camp. Some hang out with old friends who get them into trouble. That's one reason teams like to get red flagged players to commit to "voluntary" offseason workouts so that they can keep tabs on them.

 

1. Please quantify "far outstrip". EDIT: Nevermind, I see your response above.

2. You know what's the simplest explanation? Seasons. More arrests happen when it's warm because people go outside. And when you're out, that's more opportunities to get arrested. NFL happens to be off in early summer, while baseball players have their offseason in colder weather. Plus, the phblic is less likely to be paying attention to player arrest news during the holidays or NFL playoffs.

3. NFL's talent pool comes disproportionately from the poorest areas of the poorest region in the country. And baseball's barrier to entry is higher, what with elite camps and personal coaches.

Now, you're thinking, "Oh, so poor people committ more crimes?" (okay, let's just assume you asked). Well, yes. But more importantly, poor people are policed differently. Which means that:
a) They enter adulthood with priors for stuff like marijuana possession and fisticuffs, stuff middle class white people have to really try to get pinched for.
b) They go home to hang out with friends and family, exposing themselves to be arrested for marijuana possession and fisticuffs. Oh, and they're probably more likely to get pulled over, and once they get pulled over, the aforementioned priors come up when their licenses are scanned.

Which isn't to say NFL players don't commit serious crimes. But if you discount possession and disorderly conduct and not-too-crazy assault, and control for seasonality, I think you'll find that the baseball-football gap isn't so staggering.

Oh, and CONFIRMATION BIAS!!!!

 

The length of the offseason obviously makes sense too. And also, because the average baseball career is longer than the average NFL career, there are a lot more younger football players, and young rich men from poor backgrounds are more likely to do stupid shit than the general population.

And yet, NFL players don't get in trouble at any worse rate than the general population.

 

Probably even at a lesser rate than college players getting into trouble. To some extent, there is a weeding out process, because there is so much more competition for NFL jobs, apart from the really exceptional talents who get multiple chances (e.g. Mike Vick) most of the other players will get discarded if they don't shape up. It is easier to find someone else to fill who has less baggage.

There are 32 teams, with 53 players. That's 1,696 spots. Let's say 10% are open in a given year, so about 170 or so jobs (even round up to 200). There are 120 FBS schools, maybe 20 or so players for each school (not even counting players from other divisions or foreign players) so circa 2,400 players coming out each season. Plus all the players who didn't catch on the previous season(s) that are still trying to hold onto the dream. Even if you are in the top 10% of players, you can still be left out without a place.

Dez Bryant, Dumervill, Lynch, those guys will get some slack, but Goodell can suspend them too if they have repeat violations, so the patience of the teams isn't unlimited. Non-stars? Many of those guys will just get cut if they mess up bad. They might continue to be plagued with legal problems after they leave the league, but it usually doesn't make the front pages anymore.

 

I would guess they get into trouble more than the general wealthy population.

 

That's probably true. They're definitely more targeted by the police than the general wealthy population, and they come into more contact with common folks and jealousy/old beefs can complicate issues.

 

Do NFL players get arrested more often than white Hollywood celebrities? Because Charlie Sheen and Lindsey Lohan set the bar rather high. Even Bieber got pulled over the other day.
When you're a celebrity every day is the offseason!

 

I actually don't think there is any "there" there on this subject.