These are lean times for all of us who earn a living sitting behind a microphone looking to interact with passionate sports fans, but I have come to expect at least one or two unfortunate events that will usually drive sports fans to their computers and radios.

I would love to see every professional athlete make it through the next few weeks without being arrested, but I'm in touch with reality. Tennessee Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse was arrested over the weekend for DUI. He refused to take a breathalyzer and now becomes the latest NFL star to bring negative attention to a sport that wants to distance itself from substandard character issues.

Adam "Pac Man" Jones has been the best example of a professional athlete that has kept me busy on the radio and in this column over the past two years because of his troubles off the field. He now wants us all to refer to him as Adam Jones as he tries to rebuild his career on the field in Dallas. If he auctions off his “Pacman” logo diamond-encrusted necklace for charity I will honor his request and never call him Pac Man again, or at least until his next arrest.

Terrell Owens is another star whose name always seems to pop up on our radar when things tend to slow down in sports. In the past, his war of words with Eagle's quarterback Donovan McNabb and eventual exit from Philadelphia was the perfect topic to push the media through the dog days of summer. T.O. is the best example of an athlete who always wants his name to be debated 24/7 and believes that any attention is good publicity.

Cincinnati Bengal’s wide receiver Chad Johnson is obviously jealous of Owens and has now become the newest immature star who insists on being controversial instead of trying to maximize his talents as a member of a team that is trying to achieve the goal of winning a Super Bowl. This is the exact time to keep an eye on NFL players as they get a taste of summer and try to have one more high profile vacation before the start of training camp. Owners and coaches know this and keep a closer eye on their players than you think, realizing that one tragic mistake can hurt the chances of a team beginning their season with lofty expectations.

I can even go back to July of 1999 when Barry Sanders quit on the Detroit Lions before the start of training camp. That was the perfect topic to push football fans over the edge as they were resting their brains and voices before the start of that upcoming season. On July 2, 2003 a hotel employee in Eagle, Colo. accused Kobe Bryant of sexual assault. That case was eventually dropped, but only after Bryant admitted to a sexual encounter and held a press conference to admit that he committed adultery in front of his wife and the entire Los Angeles media. Listeners to sports talk radio came to their own conclusions about the character of Bryant immediately after this story broke and some still haven’t forgiven him for his actions.

Enjoy the next several weeks with your family and friends as summer begins and I get to sit back and wait for breaking news until the NFL regular season gets my blood pumping again.

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