Green Bay Packers greatest headcases of all-time: Brandon Underwood

Football is a brutally violent game that requires a certain rage and intensity from the individuals playing it.

The weekly savagery rises to unprecedented highs at the pro level where the speed of on-field collisions can potentially inflict irreparable damage to athletes engaged in hand-to-hand combat with opponents on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

While us fans routinely watch and admire the courageous physical feats of our favorite gridiron warriors, rarely do we ever ask ourselves how these competitors extinguish that inner game-time flame and revert back to being regular mild-mannered citizens that drop the kids off to school and pick up the milk and toilet paper for their wives on their way back home.

The sad reality is that some players never learn how to shut off that switch and allow their fury to get the better part of them by battering their spouses, girlfriends and even minors.

For years, domestic violence incidents were conveniently swept under the rug especially when the perpetrator of the crime was integral to the success of the football team dealing with that type of issue.

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Under the direction of GM Ted Thompson, the Packers have generally been known to place a lofty premium on an athlete’s character before committing to target that player in the draft. “How does prospect X fit into our locker room?” is always a primary consideration at 1265 Lombardi Avenue.

Did Thompson and company throw all their ideals out the window and make an exception for defensive back Brandon Underwood when selecting him in the sixth round of the 2009 draft?

In retrospect it would be difficult to disagree with that theory, but team management obviously saw positive traits in the aspiring pro that made them confident that he could develop into a responsible and conscientious individual both on and off the field.

Underwood turned out to be everything but what the front office had hoped and planned for.

The everlasting memory of the backup safety among most Packer diehards is one highlighted by the poor choices he made following a June 16th, 2011 ceremony during which all members of the previous season’s Super Bowl team received their diamond rings in appreciation for their efforts.

On the drive back from the event, Underwood began arguing with his wife, Brandie, and in a fit of ire ripped off a commemorative Super Bowl necklace given to her, and other significant others, as a gesture of kindness on the part of the Packers.

He proceeded to pull over, open the passenger door and drag his spouse out of the vehicle by her arms down to the ground. The 22-year-old drove off and left Brandie stranded.

The fact that Underwood would never play another game for Green Bay is of ancillary importance when you take into account that the third-year player remained with the team through the beginning of training camp and was essentially allowed to compete for a roster spot.

It was only when it was learned that the Ohio native would probably serve a two-game suspension that the franchise decided to cut ties with him before the start of the 2011 regular season.

Underwood’s troubling behavior manifested itself during his time as a student athlete at Ohio State. His time in Columbus was cut short when the university revoked his scholarship due to missed meetings and academic issues.

It was here that the 6-foot-1 defender met Brandie, a collegiate volleyball player, with whom he would parent three children.

The versatile defensive back eventually transferred and made the most of his one year at the University of Cincinnati by recording 60 tackles, four interceptions and two forced fumbles before entering the draft.

Perhaps the Packers looked favorably on the fact that Underwood was a married man with children at such a young age.

However, an incident that occurred a year before the well-chronicled domestic-abuse episode had to make team decision makers start questioning the wisdom of offering the former Bearcat an opportunity to become a part of the Packers family.

Fresh off his rookie season, Underwood participated in a team golf event and was accused of assaulting two women later that night while he was rooming with six other teammates at a local Wisconsin-based resort.

Following multiple interrogations by local authorities, it was revealed that the young Packer had paid the females for sexual favors and subsequently pleaded no contest to one count of misdemeanor prostitution.

Underwood not only put himself in a bad situation as both a public figure and a married man, but also incriminated his colleagues until they were ultimately cleared of any wrongdoings after a thorough police investigation.

No player should have been worth that type of distraction and bad press, especially one who was primarily a special-teams performer that made a minimal contribution on defense.

Even worse, Underwood had lost the trust and respect of some of his teammates in the process.

Team management undoubtedly held on to this player too long, as Underwood proved that his misdeeds weren’t isolated incidents, but rather a dangerous pattern of foolish actions that hindered his professional growth.

What was particularly disconcerting about the ex-Packer’s altercation with his wife, who has since divorced him, was the lenient two-game suspension he was served with by the league.

Since Underwood wasn’t a prominent player, such as later domestic-violence perpetrators Greg Hardy and Ray Rice, his case didn’t receive the same type of attention it deserved.

Unfortunately star players committing similar offenses will probably continue getting second and third chances (see Hardy in 2015) because of their importance to the success of their team.

Next: Packers position preview: Wide receivers

The 30-year-old Underwood last played in 2015 for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League.