If you're going to build a program around the concept of discipline, and if you believe punctuality is a hallmark of that sort of approach, then somebody who is a repeat offender in the tardy department has to be punished. So the head coach of the Green Bay Packers placed Freeman, his team's nominal leading receiver, on the inactive list for the regular-season finale Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Freeman missed two meetings Saturday morning. Sherman's action this weekend sends a clear message to the rest of the roster.
Rules are rules.
There will be consequences if they are broken. It does not matter how important you are, how talented you are, or how much money you make. Among his awards, he was named 1989 Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year and in 1987 the best columnist by the Milwaukee Press Club. The fact that the Packers, without Freeman's services, defeated Tampa Bay just reinforces the coach's position. Against a playoff-bound opponent, and an opponent with an outstanding defense, it turned out that the Packers could live without Freeman.