Over the past 17 months, former NFL running back and one-time Dallas Cowboy lead ballcarrier Joseph Randle has been arrested five times. Well, make that six. And while the NFL is known to house more than a handful of bad boy types, the precipitous fall from grace that Randle has suffered through since the beginning of the 2015 NFL season is both alarming and altogether unexpected.
An offseason arrest for shoplifting cologne and underwear from a department store preceded an arrest for domestic violence, marijuana possession and gun charges. Randle didn't last the year with the Cowboys and now it seems those questions posed by the Dallas franchise of Randle's mental stability may have been particularly apt.
Randle was arrested for the sixth time over the last 17 months on Sunday and subsequently tossed in jail. Randle failed to appear in court in Kansas on charges of three counts of aggravated battery, one count of drug possession and one count of criminal damage property. During an incident on Feb. 21 Randle allegedly attempted to run down three people with a car and then broken through the front door of a home.
Randle posted bail last week, but after failing to appear, it's unlikely he'll be able to post the $150,000 bond.
Randle, perhaps most well-known (prior to his arrests, of course) for the infamous "meat on the bone" comment, lobbed during preseason at former Cowboys running back-turned-Philadelphia Eagle DeMarco Murray, was expected to challenge Dallas free agent pick up Darren McFadden for the top spot in the Boys' backfield.
And while Randle played relatively well when the opportunity was afforded him, highlighted by a three touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons, his erratic behavior ultimately landed him on the bench and then got him booted out the door.
Even that episode wasn't without controversy, as the Cowboys' decision to cut him in November allegedly came after Randle stormed out of the facility upon learning that McFadden had been named the starter. It was then that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones apparently questioned the state of Randle's overall mental well-being.
But it didn't stop the team from cutting ties. And if Randle's actions since are any indication - an arrest at a Kansas City casino for assaulting a security guard and interfering with a police officer, among other things, as well as talk that his propensity for gambling on games could have led, in part, to his release - the Cowboys made the right move.
