It’s been a tipsy six months for NFL players in the area. Former Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol in DC in December. Tennessee Titans linebacker Moise Fokougot a DUI after leaving a District nightclub in January. In May, Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Cody Grimm was arrested for public intoxication in Leesburg. We recommend that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell institute three new penalties this season:
Fred Smoot. Photograph by Ron Sachs/Newscom.
Double Drinking: 5 Yards
Grimm, a 26-year-old former Virginia Tech star, is the son of ex-Redskins lineman Russ Grimm. The younger Grimm’s May 26 public-intoxication arrest came less than three months after he was arrested in Christiansburg, Virginia, for—you got it—public intoxication.
Fumbling the Tags: 10 Yards
Smoot, 34, who played seven seasons for the Skins, once used an analogy to describe his defensive-back prowess: “Two-thirds of the world is covered by water. The other third is covered by Fred Smoot.” However, he couldn’t cover his license plates. When Capitol Police pulled him over for driving his Audi A7 with no tags, Smoot claimed his temporary tags had gotten snow on them and were wet.
Inexcusable Excuse: 15 Yards
Fokou, 27, played football at Bullis School and the University of Maryland. A Park Police officer pulled him over after seeing him drive his BMW at high speed and across the street’s solid double yellow lines. Fokou said his car “just takes off sometimes,” the officer reported.
This article appears in the July 2013 issue of The Washingtonian.
Luke Mullins is a senior writer at Washingtonian magazine focusing on the people and institutions that control the city’s levers of power. He has written about the Koch Brothers’ attempt to take over The Cato Institute, David Gregory’s ouster as moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, the collapse of Washington’s Metro system, and the conflict that split apart the founders of Politico.
NFL Players Behaving Badly
Boozing? That'll be five yards.
It’s been a tipsy six months for NFL players in the area. Former Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol in DC in December. Tennessee Titans linebacker Moise Fokou got a DUI after leaving a District nightclub in January. In May, Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Cody Grimm was arrested for public intoxication in Leesburg. We recommend that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell institute three new penalties this season:
Double Drinking: 5 Yards
Grimm, a 26-year-old former Virginia Tech star, is the son of ex-Redskins lineman Russ Grimm. The younger Grimm’s May 26 public-intoxication arrest came less than three months after he was arrested in Christiansburg, Virginia, for—you got it—public intoxication.
Fumbling the Tags: 10 Yards
Smoot, 34, who played seven seasons for the Skins, once used an analogy to describe his defensive-back prowess: “Two-thirds of the world is covered by water. The other third is covered by Fred Smoot.” However, he couldn’t cover his license plates. When Capitol Police pulled him over for driving his Audi A7 with no tags, Smoot claimed his temporary tags had gotten snow on them and were wet.
Inexcusable Excuse: 15 Yards
Fokou, 27, played football at Bullis School and the University of Maryland. A Park Police officer pulled him over after seeing him drive his BMW at high speed and across the street’s solid double yellow lines. Fokou said his car “just takes off sometimes,” the officer reported.
This article appears in the July 2013 issue of The Washingtonian.
Luke Mullins is a senior writer at Washingtonian magazine focusing on the people and institutions that control the city’s levers of power. He has written about the Koch Brothers’ attempt to take over The Cato Institute, David Gregory’s ouster as moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, the collapse of Washington’s Metro system, and the conflict that split apart the founders of Politico.
Most Popular in News & Politics
The Missing Men of Mount Pleasant
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
Muriel Bowser Defends Her BLM Plaza Decision and Looks Back on a Decade as Mayor
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
8 Takeaways From Usha Vance’s Interview With Meghan McCain
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
The Washington Nationals Just Fired the Manager and GM Who Led Them to a Championship. Why Has the Team Been so Bad Since?
Your Story About How Pickleball Changed Your Life Could Get You a Game on the National Mall
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
More from News & Politics
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This July
The Washington Nationals Just Fired the Manager and GM Who Led Them to a Championship. Why Has the Team Been so Bad Since?
FBI Building Now on Track to Leave DC After All, Whistleblower Leaks Texts Suggesting Justice Department Planned to Blow Off Federal Court Orders, and NPS Cuts Leave Assateague Island Without Lifeguards
Families of DC Air Disaster Victims Criticize Army’s Response, Trump Settles His Scores Via Tariff, and Police Dog Kicked at Dulles Returns to Work
This DC-Area Lawyer Wants More Americans Betting on Elections
Trump Threatens DC Takeover, Says He’d Run the City “So Good”; Supreme Court OKs Mass Federal Worker Layoffs; and You Should Go Pick Some Sunflowers
Trump Pledges Support for RFK Stadium Plan, Ben’s Chili Bowl Will Strand Us Half-Smokeless for Months, and Pediatricians Are Suing RFK Jr.
Muriel Bowser Defends Her BLM Plaza Decision and Looks Back on a Decade as Mayor