JoeJuan Williams arrested (drugs)

[TB_Helmet]

I’m not saying he’s a bad guy or anything like that but when I hear someone is a “high character” guy I don’t assume you’ll hear them get caught with a bunch a weed and prescription pain pills inside of a year on the team.

I mean, you wouldn't assume that would happen, but there is almost zero correlation between the level of ones character and whether they smoke weed (and in the NFL, whether they use prescription painkillers, unprescribed or not).

 

[varjao]

Awesome pick.

 

[203Pat]

I mean, you wouldn't assume that would happen, but there is almost zero correlation between the level of ones character and whether they smoke weed (and in the NFL, whether they use prescription painkillers, unprescribed or not).

I don’t care about the weed. A bunch of prescription painkillers (without a prescription) is a whole different story and generally signals a problem.

 

[Drewski]

I don’t care about the weed. A bunch of prescription painkillers (without a prescription) is a whole different story and generally signals a problem.

Hypothetical - what if he got them from team medical professionals/doctors? Is that a he problem, or team problem or a they together problem?

ETA - For added clarity, I am not asking this question to say the team has done something nefarious. But there was a report a few years back that each team in the NFL gets something like 6,000 doses of pain pills 2,500 doses of controlled substances a year. Thats like 7 per week per player.

Did the report on JoeJuan state the number of pills he had? If it was only a handful, could it have been something as "simple" as he went to the team doc to complain about an ailment coming out of the last game. Team doc gives him a weeks worth of oxy. He drives home to TN. Gets pulled over by a cop...boom he is busted for "having Rx pills without an Rx".

I am not trying to mitigate the damage Rx abuse can and does do. Just given the timing (right after the season ended) my immediate reaction wasn't "JoeJuan is a oxy junkie buying pills from a dealer"...it was "well no **** he has pain pills on him, he plays in the NFL and the season just ended"*

*I say this without knowing how teams document the "rx" they give to a player.

 

[TB_Helmet]

I don’t care about the weed. A bunch of prescription painkillers (without a prescription) is a whole different story and generally signals a problem.

Fair enough, but I'd echo what Drewski said above. I'd hate to judge him without knowing how common this is among all NFL players, most of whom are in constant pain due to the violent nature of the sport. Also, you can be of 'high character,' be prescribed painkillers for something (surgery etc.) and then become addicted to them. It's brain chemistry, not moral fortitude.

 

[203Pat]

Hypothetical - what if he got them from team medical professionals/doctors? Is that a he problem, or team problem or a they together problem?

ETA - For added clarity, I am not asking this question to say the team has done something nefarious. But there was a report a few years back that each team in the NFL gets something like 6,000 doses of pain pills 2,500 doses of controlled substances a year. Thats like 7 per week per player.

Did the report on JoeJuan state the number of pills he had? If it was only a handful, could it have been something as "simple" as he went to the team doc to complain about an ailment coming out of the last game. Team doc gives him a weeks worth of oxy. He drives home to TN. Gets pulled over by a cop...boom he is busted for "having Rx pills without an Rx".

I am not trying to mitigate the damage Rx abuse can and does do. Just given the timing (right after the season ended) my immediate reaction wasn't "JoeJuan is a oxy junkie buying pills from a dealer"...it was "well no **** he has pain pills on him, he plays in the NFL and the season just ended"*

*I say this without knowing how teams document the "rx" they give to a player.

On one hand you say the team gave him a bunch of prescription pills without a prescription but on the other hand you say they did nothin nefarious. Doesn’t really work that way.

 

[supafly]

How he looks on the field in a larger sample size will tell us all we need to know. I’m not concerned about this incident any more than I was with Chung’s. Rules were broken and punishment will be doled out accordingly, but it will be lower level punishment meaning a couple of games missed.

I’m much more concerned with the level of their play on the field. After all, the amount of success on the field can help to reduce or even eliminate any future problems to begin with.

 

[IllegalContact]

I’m still recovering from the drafting of Duke Dawson instead of Fred Warner

 

[Drewski]

On one hand you say the team gave him a bunch of prescription pills without a prescription but on the other hand you say they did nothin nefarious. Doesn’t really work that way.

Which I asterisked by saying I don’t know how an Rx between a team and player works.

Do the Pats issue an Rx slip every time they divvy out pills when player X complains about their ankle?

Or is that information kept on like a transaction record maintained for audit reasons because the prescription is really between the NFL and the team? “We gave 7 Oxys to JoeJuan for ankle pain”

Again I don’t know the answer nor did I claim to. But I think it’s fair to say NFL players can get pills unlike you or I would, where we go to our PCP. Logistically it almost has to be “easier” given pain pills are figuratively in the job description.

And “easier” <> nefarious

 

[203Pat]

Which I asterisked by saying I don’t know how an Rx between a team and player works.

Do the Pats issue an Rx slip every time they divvy out pills when player X complains about their ankle?

Or is that information kept on like a transaction record maintained for audit reasons because the prescription is really between the NFL and the team? “We gave 7 Oxys to JoeJuan for ankle pain”

Again I don’t know the answer nor did I claim to. But I think it’s fair to say NFL players can get pills unlike you or I would, where we go to our PCP. Logistically it almost has to be “easier” given pain pills are figuratively in the job description.

And “easier” <> nefarious

Once again I’m not saying he’s a bad person. It’s just not a good look for a guy who didn’t do a ton his rookie year and now has legal issues and a potential prescription drug issue.

 

[Drewski]

Once again I’m not saying he’s a bad person. It’s just not a good look for a guy who didn’t do a ton his rookie year and now has legal issues and a potential prescription drug issue.

I agree. Getting arrested regardless of who you are is never a good look. But...

He didn't play a lot given the talent ahead of him.
Yes, depending on what "a large amount of Marijuana" actually means, I think he could be in some **** for that.
Rx drug issues? Maybe.

If DocFlynn on twitter is right (and maybe we have a doctor/pharmacist among us), he got popped for Vicodin (acetaminophen hydrocodone), and while she didn't name it as such, at the very least the active drug in Valtrex (valacyclovir hydrocodone).

I have heard of people having issues with Vicodin. I have never heard of people using Valtrex to get high (although I could be wrong).

 

[supafly]

If DocFlynn on twitter is right (and maybe we have a doctor/pharmacist among us), he got popped for Vicodin (acetaminophen hydrocodone), and while she didn't name it as such, at the very least the active drug in Valtrex (valacyclovir hydrocodone).

I have heard of people having issues with Vicodin. I have never heard of people using Valtrex to get high (although I could be wrong).

Valtrex is a med for cold sores. There’s nothing in it that would get a person high. It’s actually valacyclovir hydrochloride.

You’re thinking of Vicodin, which contains hydrocodone and Tylenol. That’s likely the pain pill that you’re referring to. I’m not sure where the talk of Valtrex started, aside from the somewhat similar chemical names.

 

[Drewski]

Valtrex is a med for cold sores. There’s nothing in it that would get a person high. It’s actually valacyclovir hydrochloride.

You’re thinking of Vicodin, which contains hydrocodone and Tylenol. That’s likely the pain pill that you’re referring to. I’m not sure where the talk of Valtrex started, aside from the somewhat similar chemical names.

According to DocFlynn, those are the two drugs he had. An antiviral and Vicodin. I (maybe incorrectly) applied the brand name of the antiviral.

 

[supafly]

According to DocFlynn, those are the two drugs he had. An antiviral and Vicodin. I (maybe incorrectly) applied the brand name of the antiviral.

That’s an odd combo to have. Obviously, the one is perfectly legal and doesn’t give you a buzz. Now the poor guy won’t be able to get a date, either.

 

[Drewski]

Now the poor guy won’t be able to get a date, either.

This is why I have sorta been banging the drum on the weed side of discussion...especially if “large” is actually large. (Sorry a zip isn’t a large amount)

Vicodin is what it is...maybe the Valtrex was Rx’d to Ron Mexico and that didn’t match the name on his license.

 

[supafly]

This is why I have sorta been banging the drum on the weed side of discussion...especially if “large” is actually large. (Sorry a zip isn’t a large amount).

Have we heard about it being an ounce or are you just using that as an example of what may signal “a large amount” to someone? Maybe he had a couple of ounces or something. I’m not worried about this aside from the small suspension. Personally, I’m more concerned with the level of play on the field.

 

[Drewski]

Have we heard about it being an ounce or are you just using that as an example of what may signal “a large amount” to someone? Maybe he had a couple of ounces or something. I’m not worried about this aside from the small suspension. Personally, I’m more concerned with the level of play on the field.

I haven’t heard anything about the weight he was carrying. However as I said a few pages back TN has really low limits on possession. Anything over an ounce there has separate penalties on the first offense.

I am an average, middle aged ish, tax paying productive member of society, husband and dad who enjoys THC and I haven’t bought less than a half in a go since college. If he was carrying for his winter break in TN, who knows what he had in his truck.

 

[supafly]

I haven’t heard anything about the weight he was carrying. However as I said a few pages back TN has really low limits on possession. Anything over an ounce there has separate penalties on the first offense.

I am an average, middle aged ish, tax paying productive member of society, husband and dad who enjoys THC and I haven’t bought less than a half in a go since college. If he was carrying for his winter break in TN, who knows what he had in his truck.

A bit off topic, but I just happened to stumble on an episode of Intervention where the poor guy is hooked on bath salts, and it looks terrifying. Imagine the most paranoid you’ve ever seen someone and multiply it by 100. This guy is constantly building weapons and electronic devices to fight “them” off. What a terrible life.

Steering things back on topic, 2020 is likely going to be a make or break year for JJW, especially with the possibility of Chung seeing less snaps (if you think he might be able to play a similar role).

 

[BTTA]

I haven’t heard anything about the weight he was carrying. However as I said a few pages back TN has really low limits on possession. Anything over an ounce there has separate penalties on the first offense.

I am an average, middle aged ish, tax paying productive member of society, husband and dad who enjoys THC and I haven’t bought less than a half in a go since college. If he was carrying for his winter break in TN, who knows what he had in his truck.

When I first read the report, without knowing the TN laws, I assumed he'd be in for the Chung treatment. But from what you are saying, there's a reasonable chance that he's pretty much done for as a football player? And certainly as a Patriot?

 

[Drewski]

When I first read the report, without knowing the TN laws, I assumed he'd be in for the Chung treatment. But from what you are saying, there's a reasonable chance that he's pretty much done for as a football player? And certainly as a Patriot?

No no I’m not saying saying that. I don’t know what the state will do. I’m just saying they have tough laws on possession in TN and other than describing it as “a large amount of Marijuana” we don’t know what he had on him.

He could very well get the Chung Treatment given who he is. But I don’t think he has the plausible deniability Chung did.