Colts suspend Tony Brown and McKenzie

[csmopar]

1 hour ago, John Waylon said:

The team is probably rounding up a posse this afternoon to run these guys out of town before sundown… 

 

Whatever it is they did, it got them nuclear heat. 

 

Wow

[richard pallo]

I wonder if we will see any noticeable difference in the team’s personality so to speak.  Will they be more reserved, cautious, or on guard or will they be more relaxed, loose, and focused.  Who knows how they are reacting in the locker room.  Could it result in better performance on the field?  Were they surprised by the suspensions or expecting something to happen.   These suspensions happened in the middle of a playoff push.  Hopefully they make the team and locker room an even stronger group.

[Shive]

1 hour ago, cdgacoltsfan said:

Not sure if true but I've read they shot and killed exotic birds including bald eagles on some hunting trip....... I read this online so it has to be true.

That's one that I saw commented somewhere, but the source was "my buddy works in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Bloomington. He isn't handling it, but that's what he's heard". It's not impossible, but definitely a bit out there, and I'd need a way more credible source.

 

1 hour ago, RollerColt said:

My guess, and again it’s a guess: they decided to dabble in a substance that is now legal in Ohio but definitely not legal in Indiana. 
 

Let me tell ya, you can smell that stuff everywhere in Cincinnati now. 

I doubt that it has to do with cannabis usage, as I don't believe it's tested for by the league anymore.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

6 minutes ago, Shive said:

That's one that I saw commented somewhere, but the source was "my buddy works in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Bloomington. He isn't handling it, but that's what he's heard". It's not impossible, but definitely a bit out there, and I'd need a way more credible source.

 

I doubt that it has to do with cannabis usage, as I don't believe it's tested for by the league anymore.

Seems kind of harsh punishment for that?

[John Waylon]

10 minutes ago, Shive said:

I doubt that it has to do with cannabis usage, as I don't believe it's tested for by the league anymore.

I tend to doubt that scenario as well because marijuana and the league’s stance on it was one of the main areas of the CBA where the league made concessions during the 2020 changes. 
 

On the list of substances, it’s gotta be at the bottom of what they’re chasing these days, and without a positive test from the league, how would the team know? 
 

This had to have been something football-related in the building or else we would already have heard otherwise. Too many people are in the dark for it to have been anything outside the building. 

[RollerColt]

38 minutes ago, Shive said:

That's one that I saw commented somewhere, but the source was "my buddy works in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Bloomington. He isn't handling it, but that's what he's heard". It's not impossible, but definitely a bit out there, and I'd need a way more credible source.

 

I doubt that it has to do with cannabis usage, as I don't believe it's tested for by the league anymore.

That’s a good point. 

[csmopar]

29 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Seems kind of harsh punishment for that?

Ehhh shooting bald eagles or any other endangered species carry big fines and jail time. And are federal charges. which the league would then be the ones doing the punishments. Same with any illegal substance or banned substances or gamblings. 

 

 

Odds are this is a situation where they violated some sort of team rule in a big way or multiple rules and/or repeatedly breaking them on a big time basis.
 

Anything more than that would be a league suspension. 

[Shive]

2 minutes ago, csmopar said:

Ehhh shooting bald eagles or any other endangered species carry big fines and jail time. And are federal charges. which the league would then be the ones doing the punishments. Same with any illegal substance or banned substances or gamblings. 

 

 

Odds are this is a situation where they violated some sort of team rule in a big way or multiple rules and/or repeatedly breaking them on a big time basis.
 

Anything more than that would be a league suspension. 

I think it was a single bad incident that popped up late Friday/early Saturday, leading to them being healthy scratches Saturday until the team could make a decision on how to handle whatever happened, and after the game ultimately decided to suspend them.

[csmopar]

This is 100 percent speculation on my account but there were rumors last season, unconfirmed of course, I’d players bringing dates and such back to their hotel rooms the nights of games and such. It could be something like that even. But again, just speculation and I have no clue

[GoColts8818]

3 hours ago, John Waylon said:

The team is probably rounding up a posse this afternoon to run these guys out of town before sundown… 

 

Whatever it is they did, it got them nuclear heat. 

 

Kinda begs the question why the Colts didn’t just release them then.

[RollerColt]

25 minutes ago, csmopar said:

This is 100 percent speculation on my account but there were rumors last season, unconfirmed of course, I’d players bringing dates and such back to their hotel rooms the nights of games and such. It could be something like that even. But again, just speculation and I have no clue

You could be on to something in a way. Considering it’s a professional sport, and these guys are representing the brand wherever they go, they’ve got to act in a professional manner. 
 

I remember last year Joe Burrow talking about how being a professional athlete isn’t for the faint of heart just from the commitment alone to a long NFL season. He said he’s essentially on the clock from OTAs until the Super Bowl. That type of Manning/Brady focus is what it takes.
 

That’s what separates the elite from the rest. We’re making a statement that we’re requiring a full time commitment and backing it up with actual consequences. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

6 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

Kinda begs the question why the Colts didn’t just release them then.

Could it be suspending them means they don’t get paid. Releasing them they still get paid.

[Superman]

9 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

Kinda begs the question why the Colts didn’t just release them then.

 

Both are vested veterans, so their salaries are guaranteed. By suspending them, they don't get paid for the next three weeks. I don't know if that's the reason, but it could be a factor.

[csmopar]

10 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Both are vested veterans, so their salaries are guaranteed. By suspending them, they don't get paid for the next three weeks. I don't know if that's the reason, but it could be a factor.

So suspending them and then releasing after the season saves them a bit of cash? I doubt that was much of a factor. I think it’s more to send a message to the rest of the locker room that whatever was going on isn’t going to be tolerated. 

[Superman]

14 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

That’s what separates the elite from the rest. We’re making a statement that we’re requiring a full time commitment and backing it up with actual consequences. 

 

I don't think we know enough about what's going on. It could be that these two were engaged in some improper conduct, and the team is getting rid of them because they didn't meet the standard.

 

Or, it could be that some players on the team are openly questioning the coaching staff, challenging team leaders, refusing to accept assignments, griping about playing time, etc. Our DBs have been picked on at times this year, and Brown has only played 56 defensive snaps. McKenzie had a tweet after cut down day that seemed to show some frustration with his situation, and he was only used sparingly on offense all season. And if this is about responding to disgruntled players, do we know how the rest of the team will respond? Are there more upset players who won't openly rock the boat, but also aren't going to buy in fully? 

 

Also, if this situation is more about players accepting their roles on the team, it would be concerning for this to happen just a few weeks after Shaq Leonard was released. You would think that decision would be a wake up call, and everyone would be on notice. If guys are still challenging the coaching staff after that, then it could mean that benching/suspending/releasing veteran players isn't an effective strategy for galvanizing the locker room.

 

This is not meant to be speculation; it's entirely hypothetical, because I don't know anything. I'm just wondering if suspending two veteran players at this point in the season, when the team is fighting to get into the playoffs, is actually a positive sign. It could be, but I think that depends on a lot of factors that have not been revealed so far.

[Superman]

5 minutes ago, csmopar said:

So suspending them and then releasing after the season saves them a bit of cash? I doubt that was much of a factor. I think it’s more to send a message to the rest of the locker room that whatever was going on isn’t going to be tolerated. 

 

Yeah, a negligible amount of cash savings. But why pay boneheaded players if you don't have to? And what message is being sent by suspending a player for the remaining games, versus just cutting them? It's the same result in the locker room.

[w87r]

2 hours ago, John Waylon said:

Here’s Ballard gushing about Brown prior to the season. Though this is not the exact comment I am referencing, it still clearly establishes Ballard’s love of Tony Brown. 
 

https://www.colts.com/news/general-manager-chris-ballard-cornerbacks-kenny-moore-regular-season

 

I’m trying to find the exact quote, but I can’t seem to right this moment. It had to have been after one of those really bad games from Brown because the answer stood out. In the worst way. 

His bad game was week 8, if that helps.

 

 

I remember the comment, not so much the details.

[John Waylon]

32 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

Kinda begs the question why the Colts didn’t just release them then.

Well, yeah. This makes me wonder if they were caught sharing information or something of that nature. 
 

But it could also be a fight. Maybe it was not a practice fight but something beyond that. That would also seem more appropriate than letting them finish their seasons elsewhere. Make them sit out and explain to their new teams why next spring. 

[w87r]

1 hour ago, Shive said:

That's one that I saw commented somewhere, but the source was "my buddy works in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Bloomington. He isn't handling it, but that's what he's heard". It's not impossible, but definitely a bit out there, and I'd need a way more credible source.

Crazy enough.

 

Rodney Thomas's dad got indicted for this in July.

 

Probably no connection, but something the team has been in the news for recently.

[csmopar]

8 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Yeah, a negligible amount of cash savings. But why pay boneheaded players if you don't have to? And what message is being sent by suspending a player for the remaining games, versus just cutting them? It's the same result in the locker room.

I think it goes back to what you said above. By suspending them, they’re stuck on the roster without getting paid. Meaning they lose out on a portion of their salaries. Cutting them, they’d still get paid and could potentially be picked up by another team. 
 

so in my mind, it’s telling the locker room that if you screw up and don’t stay within the rules of the team , the consequences could be a financial and career impacting.

 

now if you want to go really deep down a rabbit hole, does the release of Shaq have any connection to this? I think not as I think that was more performance based and thus, a release to start over was in everyone’s best interest. 
 

so the message is clear, perform as expected or you’ll be looking for a new team.

 

violate the rules, it’ll cost you both your spot on the depth chart plus your financial wellness. And then you’ll likely still going to be looking for a new team next year after that suspension 

[Superman]

3 minutes ago, csmopar said:

I think it goes back to what you said above. By suspending them, they’re stuck on the roster without getting paid. Meaning they lose out on a portion of their salaries. Cutting them, they’d still get paid and could potentially be picked up by another team. 
 

so in my mind, it’s telling the locker room that if you screw up and don’t stay within the rules of the team , the consequences could be a financial and career impacting.

 

Yeah, maybe. I also meant to mention that releasing them now subjects them to waivers, in which case maybe they get claimed and the Colts are off the hook financially anyway.

 

It's all unknown for now. I'm just not absolutely sure that this is something that signals positive things for the team. It could, but it really depends on what actually happened.

[csmopar]

25 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Yeah, maybe. I also meant to mention that releasing them now subjects them to waivers, in which case maybe they get claimed and the Colts are off the hook financially anyway.

 

It's all unknown for now. I'm just not absolutely sure that this is something that signals positive things for the team. It could, but it really depends on what actually happened.

Agreed fully with the second part. 
 

as for the first, they’d still get paid which defeats the message of what I said above

[richard pallo]

The team suspended them for three games but their lockers were cleaned out.  What happens if we make the playoffs?  Are they back on the team and receive lockers again?  Will they extend the suspension for the playoffs?  Seems like they are off the team permanently if the team cleaned out their lockers.  

[RollerColt]

1 hour ago, Superman said:

 

I don't think we know enough about what's going on. It could be that these two were engaged in some improper conduct, and the team is getting rid of them because they didn't meet the standard.

 

Or, it could be that some players on the team are openly questioning the coaching staff, challenging team leaders, refusing to accept assignments, griping about playing time, etc. Our DBs have been picked on at times this year, and Brown has only played 56 defensive snaps. McKenzie had a tweet after cut down day that seemed to show some frustration with his situation, and he was only used sparingly on offense all season. And if this is about responding to disgruntled players, do we know how the rest of the team will respond? Are there more upset players who won't openly rock the boat, but also aren't going to buy in fully? 

 

Also, if this situation is more about players accepting their roles on the team, it would be concerning for this to happen just a few weeks after Shaq Leonard was released. You would think that decision would be a wake up call, and everyone would be on notice. If guys are still challenging the coaching staff after that, then it could mean that benching/suspending/releasing veteran players isn't an effective strategy for galvanizing the locker room.

 

This is not meant to be speculation; it's entirely hypothetical, because I don't know anything. I'm just wondering if suspending two veteran players at this point in the season, when the team is fighting to get into the playoffs, is actually a positive sign. It could be, but I think that depends on a lot of factors that have not been revealed so far.

I agree. There’s a delicate balance between being too lax and being too strict. 
 

From everything I’ve heard from players, including on Franklin’s weekly podcast, the players have bought in to more accountability. At least for this season. 
 

This all could be a negative thing, but it sounded like Leonard being let go was a huge deal in the locker room, and yet it wasn’t enough of a distraction to the detriment of the team. The entire organization seems pretty rock steady right now and focused. 
 

We’ll see how we do with this next chapter of the season. 

[ColtStrong2013]

6 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

This all could be a negative thing, but it sounded like Leonard being let go was a huge deal in the locker room, and yet it wasn’t enough of a distraction to the detriment of the team. The entire organization seems pretty rock steady right now and focused. 

the replacement for Leonard forcing twice the amount of turnovers that #53 made this season in a fraction of the time probably opened some eyes in the locker room too. 

[RollerColt]

1 minute ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

the replacement for Leonard forcing twice the amount of turnovers that #53 made this season in a fraction of the time probably opened some eyes in the locker room too. 

No doubt. 

[twfish]

Y’all remember in like 2014 going into training camp there was a running back (possibly a CB as well) that was released after *an incident with a fire extinguisher*? Lol wonder if it was something similar 

[Hawkeyecolt]

Ballard has spoke very highly of Tony Brown as a person in the past and has been a very valuable member of the special teams. So whatever happened was no small deal.  
 

Switching from McKenzie to Downs as a returner is probably a wash but exposing Downs to hits and injury isn’t ideal.  

[OLD FAN MAN]

can another team sign them or they still colts just suspended this season

[RollerColt]

3 minutes ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

can another team sign them or they still colts just suspended this season

Just suspended at the moment, but I’m sure they’ll be released once the season is over. 

[OLD FAN MAN]

2 hours ago, RollerColt said:

I agree. There’s a delicate balance between being too lax and being too strict. 
 

From everything I’ve heard from players, including on Franklin’s weekly podcast, the players have bought in to more accountability. At least for this season. 
 

This all could be a negative thing, but it sounded like Leonard being let go was a huge deal in the locker room, and yet it wasn’t enough of a distraction to the detriment of the team. The entire organization seems pretty rock steady right now and focused. 
 

We’ll see how we do with this next chapter of the season. 

i hope this does not transfer  to the playing field in a bad way

[RollerColt]

1 minute ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

i hope this does not transfer  to the playing field in a bad way

I agree. 
 

But if there’s anyone that can continue to weather this storm, Shane’s proven so far he can lead the team through it. 

[OLD FAN MAN]

4 hours ago, GoColts8818 said:

Kinda begs the question why the Colts didn’t just release them then.

brown is good on special teams they may want to keep him

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

8 minutes ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

i hope this does not transfer  to the playing field in a bad way

We beat the crap out of Steelers with them being inactive. It’s safe to say it didn’t have a affect.

[w87r]

38 minutes ago, Hawkeyecolt said:

Switching from McKenzie to Downs as a returner is probably a wash but exposing Downs to hits and injury isn’t ideal.

Jaydon Mickens probably has decent chance to be take over that role.

[Zoltan]

7 hours ago, John Waylon said:

I wasn’t singling anyone out, and you were not definitely not alone in raising the alarm. It was an all-time oddball of a thread (it didn’t even get a pruning from the mods, it was one those that went sideways enough that it just culled from the herd entirely.)

 

If Decker wanted to go with frank that just raises a red flag. Frank himself shouldn’t have wanted to go with frank. Now I assume he’s out there in Charlotte still, sans frank, and now finds himself under the care of tepper. That clown show went to general expectations even if it was just a truncated version. 
 

But my original thought was not all pith, however. There’s legs to it. McKenzie and Brown are both new additions this year. They didn’t go through whatever process Baker was involved with here, and they’ve done something to the level that they have been ostracized this way… I won’t go as far as to say that Baker could have prevented this sort of thing, but it was indeed his job to attempt it…

 

It’s also troubling to me in another sense. 
 

There’s been a Ballard comment all season that has echoed in the back of my mind about Tony Brown. It was very early on in the season or even in the preseason. Ballard was talking about Brown and said “I want a team full of Tony Browns”. It had to have been at some point after we saw how truly bad Brown could be out there, because as soon as he uttered the words I stopped what I was doing and looked on in horror at the thought. The point, however, was not that he wanted a team full of that talent, he wanted more of the mentality and whatever else it was that Brown brought to the table. 
 

Which turns out to include… whatever this situation is. 
 

Hopefully our GM doesn’t realize his dream of having a team full of guys like that…

I think it’s more just one of Ballards go to phrases because I’ve heard him say it a couple times basically “ I want a team full of insert name here.” I really don’t take much out of it as it’s usually just fluff and a way for him to give a non-answer, you know that GM speak.  

[richard pallo]

6 minutes ago, Zoltan said:

I think it’s more just one of Ballards go to phrases because I’ve heard him say it a couple times basically “ I want a team full of insert name here.” I really don’t take much out of it as it’s usually just fluff and a way for him to give a non-answer, you know that GM speak.  

Yeah.  “I love me some Kenny Moore”. 

[ColtStrong2013]

1 hour ago, Hawkeyecolt said:

Switching from McKenzie to Downs as a returner is probably a wash but exposing Downs to hits and injury isn’t ideal.  

Comparing the last two weeks, it is far from a wash. perhaps they put downs there to create opportunities for him to make plays (which he’s good at) and to get him out of a funk, which it seems he was in. TY Hilton returned punts his rookie year. It’s not a longterm move. Might not even be more than a move for a few games. 

[PeytsBlocker]

6 hours ago, csmopar said:

This is 100 percent speculation on my account but there were rumors last season, unconfirmed of course, I’d players bringing dates and such back to their hotel rooms the nights of games and such. It could be something like that even. But again, just speculation and I have no clue

I would say that is a big possibility but just guessing myself. As noted before I worked Colts security for the ten years they had training camp in Terre Haute. I actually had to escort a lady from the guys buidling they were staying in and this included a player too who was kicked off the team. We're talking two A.M. when his happened. Dungy and Polian were not happy at all and the player and lady friend were turned in by other players. That's the thing I like about Coach Steichen. Looks like he doesn't put up with stuff like Dungy didn't back in the day too.

[chickenMan]

Obviously this situation really sucks, but man what a breath of fresh air, holding players accountable. That’s something that rarely, if ever, happened under Reich. Good job, Steichen