Now that we've had time to absorb the news, we have questions about it. Granted the news that a Bengals player received a shipment of 2.5 pounds of marijuana through the mail that was tracked by law enforcement isn't without its recourse of a long-hoped-to-be-dead caricature suddenly resurrected, we're often reminded that most egregious headlines are often a complex over-reactionary pulse of a story that might not be as crazy as it initially sounds.
That being said there's two things that shocked me. One that officials were allowing 2.5 pounds of "high-grade" marijuana to be delivered to Jerome Simpson's residence and that police "allegedly found six more pounds of marijuana, other empty parcels, scales and packaging material."
“The house was set up as a potential distribution network,” said Tommy LaNier, head of the National Marijuana Initiative, a group that is funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy and helps coordinate marijuana enforcement operations around the United States.
All of that and there were no arrests? But this is a federal investigation that's bigger than those players. If that's true and they're trying to fry a bigger fish, leaking that through the media does what exactly? Tell said big fishies to go underground? What could they possibly be doing that wouldn't warrant an arrest and if they were in possession of 8.5 pounds of "high-quality" marijuana, how were they allowed to practice with the team on Wednesday? It's not like police see a potential marijuana distribution startup and go, let me think on it first before acting.
Admittedly we don't have the facts but shouldn't that go both ways?
Local 12 Directory Brad Johansen did confirm that both players were "part" of "what is now an ongoing investigation." Did both players make a deal in Simpson's house to get said bigger fish? Is Simpson an NFL player by day, Jack Bauer by night under cover?
Whatever it is, there are virtually no known facts except for the descriptions of one story that provides no context behind it. We're not saying that none of it is true, nor are we saying that both men shouldn't be held accountable to their actions if indeed everything is black and white as the story hints.
But there is a slight curiosity to this story beyond the immediate condemnation of both men. As a little sidenote, CaliforniaWatch.org hasn't been without their criticisms.