ESPN's Bart Scott Says NFL Teams Need Players With 'A Couple Of Felonies' To Win
Former NFL linebacker turned ESPN analyst Bart Scott said Thursday that in order for teams to be successful, they need to have players with a couple of felonies to their name.
"You have to get some tough guys and everyone can't be choir boys," Scott said, via USA Today’s Scooby Axson. "When I was with the Ravens we had to make sure that we had at least two people on the team with a couple of felonies, just to make sure our street cred was right, when we had to go in these back alleys and have some of these dog fights.
“Sometimes you have to have some people that's not no choir boys. That's why you have a strong locker room to hold them in check."
Scott, who played for the Ravens from 2002-08, was teammates with players such as Ray Lewis, Jamal Lewis and Terrell Suggs. Apart from being All-Pro players at their respective positions, the trio also had their own run-ins with the law.
Ray Lewis is the most famous example, as the Hall of Fame linebacker was charged with murder in 2000. He later reached a plea deal and pled guilty to obstruction of justice. Jamal Lewis was sentenced to four months of prison in 2005 after pleading guilty for attempting to set up a drug deal for a friend. Suggs was charged with felony aggravated assault in 2003 and has been accused multiple times of domestic violence.
As anyone could imagine, the hosts of ESPN Radio's Freddie and Fitzsimmons were taken back by Scott's comments. One host even said, "oh boy," before Scott continued. Yes, he still wasn't done making his point.
"The funniest sign I ever saw in my life was 52 plus 31 equals 10 to 20. It was Ray Lewis and Jamal Lewis equals 10 to 20 in prison," Scott said. "Terrell Suggs beat a dude with a stop sign coming out of Arizona State. You gotta have a couple of guys like that. We can clean them up and get them counseling, but you got to have a couple of goons and you definitely have some goblins."
It's hard to see how having players with a criminal record can positively impact a team, regardless of the talent. Look no further than Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who sat out the entirety of the 2021 season with the Texans amid multiple sexual assault and misconduct allegations.
But this is Scott, who is known to have strong opinions. Back in January, Scott actually uttered on an ESPN broadcast that Bills quarterback Josh Allen should take a viagra before Buffalo's chilly home playoff game against the Patriots.
No, for real, he actually said that on an episode of Get Up.
"Take a Viagra before the game, baby. That’ll get that circulation going right,” Scott said. “A lot of NFL players, at least in my day, took Viagra because it opened up the blood vessels."
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