If Mangini Wants Players to Adhere to Rules Maybe He Should Follow Them Himself

Eric Mangini came riding in on his white horse to Cleveland telling the Browns media that was going to install a new culture on the downtrodden team. Mangini made it clear that rules will be followed and malcontents would be shipped away (Kellen Winslow). If you were a player knowing Mangini's track record, how could you really take the young head coach seriously? The 38 year old coach doesn't really practice what he preaches.

If Mangini was so obsessed with following rules how could he have stomached working under Bill Belichick. Belichick, of course, was filming opposing teams for an advantage on getting their signals in what is now known as Spygate. Mangini didn't seem to mind the practice when he was under the New England Patriots head coach but took issue when it was used against him when he was given the head job with the New York Jets.

If you don't like the guilty by association aspect of the last example maybe this one will be a little more clear that Mangini hardly is a choir boy when it comes to the NFL rulebook. Just last week, Mangini was fined by the NFL for failing to list Brett Favre on the injury list despite the fact he knew he was hurt. That my friends, is against the rules.

Ask yourself what is worse. Falsifying information on an injury report or what his players did which entailed not paying for a bottle of water ($1700 fine), not paying for a movie at a hotel ($1700 fine), and wearing pants that were too short ($5000 fine). With Mangini's track record of bad behavior in the NFL and the way he treats his own players it is hardly surprising that agents around the league are telling their players to avoid the Cleveland Browns like the Swine Flu. And if Mangini keeps on being so heavy handed when it comes to players fines don't be surprised when the Browns players start a mutiny against someone who they probably who feel is nothing more than a hypocrite.