SMITHFIELD, RI — It appears that Friday’s 4-game suspension of Patriots wide receiver Terry Glenn shouldn’t have come as such a surprise after all.
As a matter of fact, head coach Bill Belichick may have known about this for quite some time.
How you say?
“We have been aware of this possibility for some time,” said Belichick on Friday in a team statement. “But the NFL did not present us with any conclusive outcome until today. League policies are very strict regarding the confidentiality of this program. All I can really say is the league has made its ruling and we will abide by it.”
Considering the fact that the team did little to address the wide receiver position until toward the end of the offseason, it certainly causes one to raise an eyebrow. Not to sound a little skeptical, but many fans certainly felt that the signing of receiver Charles Johnson was a bit too good to be true. Imagine, had Glenn not gotten into trouble, think about the possibility of Glenn lining up on one side, with Troy Brown in the slot position and Charles Johnson lining up opposite him how dangerous New England’s passing game would be.
Should fans wonder if something had been going on for quite some time? Absolutely, and one comment by Patriots Chief Operating Officer Andy Wasynczuk should make them believe that Glenn isn’t long for this football team.
“We are going to discuss within the organization the appropriate manner in which to handle this situation as it relates to Terry’s contract,” said Wasynczuk. “There are clauses within Terry’s contract that are affected by this suspension. We will discuss both internally and with Terry’s representatives how we can best move forward from here.”
It appears that New England may have known for quite a while that they may have needed to replace their star receiver, and that the withholding of his signing bonus may have been done with another motive in mind. However it’s difficult without knowing the facts of this event to back such an idea, but on the other hand it’s tough not to speculate that this was inevitable and that the team had prepared itself for such an outcome.
So the only thing left to wonder is what happens now?
Whatever it is fans shouldn’t be surprised, especially after today. One would never have thought for a second that things couldn’t possibly get any worse for the former first round draft choice. But keep in mind for all those who are ready to run him out of town, don’t forget that he is a person just like everyone, and that such self-destructive behavior should be cause for concern despite how we may feel about the situation. No one should agree with what he may or may not have done, but after how well he played during the 1996 season it’s tough to figure out where it all went wrong. Watching it all spiral out of control however doesn’t make it any easier.
So regardless of what happens, whether the team can opt to cut him or trade him, try and hope that he can turn his life around. Whether you like him or not you can still only pray that for the sake of the child and his mother he can find a way to pull things together and lead a normal productive life.
As for head coach Bill Belichick, he says that the team will continue to support him.
“Terry can expect to be fully supported by the Patriots organization during this time, as he deals with the NFL’s decision as well as any other personal situation for which he seeks assistance.”
All fans can do now is wait and see what happens next.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
