Confidential Information Becomes Public

On September 30, an unnamed source reported to ESPN that former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback Josh Freeman had entered the NFL substance-abuse program. Hours later, Freeman himself confirmed this to be true.

The fact that someone leaked this information to ESPN is a troubling occurrence, mainly because information like this is supposed to be completely confidential. The league has already taken some measures to figure out how this happened, and now the Tampa Bay General Manager Mark Dominik and Head Coach Greg Schiano have said that the team is open to investigation.

Who Did It?

This is well-received news. It was doubtful to begin with that either of these individuals was involved in the leak. But nevertheless, it was good to hear them say that they are on board to getting to the bottom of this occurrence. The day after Freeman’s statement, Schiano had said that the information leak had nothing to do with him. Many still speculate, however, that Schiano was the leak. It is no secret that Freeman and Schiano have had some conflict in the past.

This investigation will most likely be taken very seriously. The League most definitely wants to get to the bottom of this, and the repercussions for the culprit will probably be harsh. It is believed that this will also be a pretty private matter.

The Bucs just can’t catch a break

And sadly, this isn’t even the first bout of concern surrounding the Bucs this year. There have also been reports that Josh Freeman was illegitimately stripped of his Captain title by Schiano without the votes of the actual players. Freeman has also been fined several times this year for missing meetings, supposedly coming late for a photo shoot, and giving an unauthorized interview.

The Buccaneers players are also probably pretty uneasy about all of this- as a team member, I know I would be unsettled. And speaking of players, The NFL Players Association wants to investigate this issue further, and want the League to team up with them for a joint investigation surround the Freeman issue. The NFLPA say their reason for wanting a joint investigation is because the League has failed in the past to follow through with disciplinary action confidentiality breaches.

Freeman’s Misfortune

Josh Freeman was released from the Buccaneers on October 3 of this year. He was then picked up by the Minnesota Vikings a few days later. Freeman played for Tampa Bay for four years leading up to his release, and ended his time there with a 24-35 record. This season, Freeman has been playing poorly, and as mentioned earlier, received 5 fines already. In his statement admitting to being in the substance abuse program, Freeman emphasized that he has never tested positive for illegal drugs, and had voluntarily pursued additional testing.

It will be interesting to see (if it is revealed) who the leak is. If it turns out to be Schiano, all that means is more misfortunate for the Buccaneers this season. And as for Josh Freeman, hopefully his substance problems are resolved, and he finds a solid home with Minnesota.