In speaking with agents of several Bucs players recently, I have sensed a common theme: There is an atmosphere of fear and distrust under the current regime in Tampa. Players have told their agents about coaches roaming through the locker room (typically the players sanctuary away from coaches) and staff videotaping players on the sidelines during losses to single out players laughing or horsing around. The players also speak to the influx of multiple Rutgers players from Schianos past and the use of the phrase Schiano Men, a term that clearly does not apply to Freeman.
Freeman may be the next player shipped out by Schiano, joining a list that includes Aqib Talib, Dezmon Briscoe, LeGarrette Blount and Kellen Winslow, Jr., as well as this weeks casualties Ahmad Black and Kevin Ogletree. There appears to be a pattern of players, despite their talents, ending up on the wrong side of the coaching staff, with directives from Schiano to general manager Mark Dominik to remove them from the roster.
To be fair, Freeman has not been blameless here. Missing the team photofor whatever reasonis inexcusable and fanned the flames of a dysfunctional relationship between him and his head coach. Which leads me to
The Schiano-Freeman saga seems to reach new lows every day, with the latest salvos including a report by FOX Sports that Freeman was told to stay away from a team meeting, this following a report from ESPN that Freeman is in Stage One of the NFLs drug-testing program due to a mixup with his league-approved prescription for Adderall. One can only wonder what invectives today or tomorrow will bring...