Open Letter to the Indianapolis Colts

Since moving to New York four years ago, my DirecTV NFL and NBA packages have helped me maintain a connection to Indianapolis. I love seeing the exterior shots of the Circle and the Statehouse during game broadcasts, and have always felt pride in seeing the class displayed both on and off the court.

When the Pacers fell into disgrace last November, I knew it would pass. Even in the darkest days, I said that the way they handled the rest of the season and battled through the adversity would really show the league and the world what they were made of. It got worse before it got better, but I was vindicated. The story of our season became that of Reggie's last lap, and a courageous, unselfish playoff run by a team that had been humbled and grown together.

This evening, I read of Nick Harper's arrest for domestic battery—something about his wife receiving a black eye while their three children were home. This makes the sixth Colt this off-season to run into legal problems—and the second key defensive player in a week to be jailed for what can only be called punk behavior. Everyone makes mistakes, but come on—there's just no excuse for this, when our defense is already so thin and questionable. That goes double for the coaching staff and management—the guys signing the checks and enforcing the rules. Is anybody in control over there?

The questions surrounding the Pacer organization last fall were dispelled by the end of the season. Last fall, the Colts left their own questions unanswered: can they win the big game? Is Peyton a paper tiger? Does this team have championship mettle, or are they just the Minnesota Vikings of the new century? What I've seen lately doesn't leave me optimistic. The Patriots didn't win the Super Bowl until Irving Friar was long gone. It looks like we still have some housecleaning to do.

It'll soon be time to renew that DirecTV NFL package. It's a lot of money, and at least four regular season games are going to be televised nationally anyway. Our second child is due in September; maybe I should just save the money and time and stick to basketball this fall.

Can you give me a good reason to do any different?