Bradham must learn from incident
The next time you feel like punching someone you think really deserves it, think about Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham.
Instead of celebrating the club’s Super Bowl LII title with his teammates in their Sept. 6 opener against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field, Bradham will be watching it on TV from his home in Florida. The NFL suspended the 28-year-old veteran for one game for allegedly punching a cabana worker in Miami Beach two summers ago.
Cabana workers can be moody and even cantankerous. They’re overworked and underpaid. Aren’t we all? Bradham was upset it took so long for the beach umbrella to arrive, according to authorities. An argument ensued and it became physical.
The NFL deemed the event resulting in aggravated battery charges being filed against Bradham a violation of its personal conduct policy. That came after he’d struck a deal with Miami Beach authorities to defer the prosecution, in which case it wouldn’t be on his record if he kept out of trouble for six months.
Bradham thought he was clear and free of discipline. The nightmare had just begun.
Bradham said he was notified on the last day of the Eagles’ June camp he’d have to serve a six-game suspension. There goes the appetite.
“I think the standard is six games for anything,” Bradham said. “So, if you get into anything, the standard is you get six automatically.”
The NFLPA, through Bradham’s legal counsel, did their own investigation, taking “information, depositions, things like that.
“That’s all they did was get all the information and found out the facts about the case,” Bradham said. “It’s facts, though. I shouldn’t have gotten any (games suspended). For sure, though, I honestly feel like I shouldn’t have any but it is what it is.”
Trust me, if Bradham had that umbrella request to do over, he wouldn’t give the cabana guy or the NFL a chance to exercise any control over his life. Saying something snarky would have worked. Then again, Bradham isn’t snarky.
Bradham plays the game heavy-handed, albeit with a smile. Veteran safety Malcolm Jenkins calls the linebacker the Eagles’ enforcer. The enforcer, unfortunately, made a lot of trouble for himself by not walking away, which in retrospect was the proper play.
Bradham will be reminded of the negative consequences when the football season begins without him, the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles giving their fans an extra-large helping of pomp and circumstance in South Philly.
Bradham can’t be anywhere near the team when it practices or plays the week of the opener. He loses 1/17th of his 2018 pay — $58,823.52.
Then there are the legal fees, the time spent in court, the worrying.
Did we mention, for the 100th time, that the champs are beginning without one of their biggest leaders? Bradham’s sack of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan loomed large the last time the teams played in the divisional round of the playoffs at the Linc.
“I was a major part of that,” Bradham said. “Obviously, it’s something that has never happened and a banner is being put up and I’ll miss it. I’ll come back ready, though. I’ll be fired up. You’ll see. It’ll be fun when I do come back. It’s unfortunate that I’m going to miss it but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Bradham led the Eagles with 88 tackles last season. He stepped up his game when Jordan Hicks tore an Achilles’ tendon
Hicks is healthy but the Eagles released veteran Mychal Kendricks, who had one of his best seasons, and is searching for help at linebacker.
Unlike the 10-game Lane Johnson suspension in 2016, the Eagles have plenty of time to prepare for Bradham’s absence in Week 1.
“We’ve got some boys, we have some athletes that can play,” Bradham said. “We’ll be good.”
Bradham is one of the most accommodating Eagles on the team. He once committed to join Merrill Reese, the voice of the Eagles, for a radio show at the Chickie’s and Pete’s in Drexel Hill.
When Bradham arrived for the show, there was an outside conflict about his availability to sign autographs. It was awkward as the place was full of Eagles fans happy to see the star player. Bradham resolved the issue on the spot and was signing long after the show.
It’s easy for Eagles fans to root for Bradham. Fiery, fearless and loyal, he’s one of them. Bradham spurned outside offers in free agency to stick with the Eagles, who gave him a five-year, $40 million contract, $8 million guaranteed. He feels like he owes the fans another.