Talent almost always trumps character. Christian Peter's rights were abdicated because of a domestic violence incident. Ben Coates was not. Ron Rutledge (or maybe Lovett Purnell) was cut in the aftermath of a highway car race coming back from Providence. Another player, and again I think it was Ben Coates, who was with him, was not. Willie Andrews was cut for possession of Marijuana. Kevin Faulk was not.
Lawrence Taylor got away with doing virtually nothing Monday-Saturday, routinely missed curfews, attempted to undermine Belichick virtually every day, had a chronic alcohol and drug problem, yet on Sunday he was unblockable, so it was all tolerated.
As Warren Haynes once said "****ie Betts was always a pain in the ass, but as long as he could play, we could overlook it. Once his performance started slipping, nobody was willing to put up with his sh!t anymore."