9781422283073

notably Aaron Hernandez, Ray Rice, and Adrian Peterson. The paper does not, however, maintain a database of all the great things that NFL players do off the field. Good Samaritan Even when a NFL player does some- thing truly heroic, the good news is met with skepticism. Heading into the 2015 AFC Championship Game between Denver and New England, USA Today ran a story on the front

page about Patriots linebacker Darius Fleming, who had played the previous week with 22 stitches in his leg. He needed the stitches after kicking in the win- dow of a smoking, wrecked car and pulling a woman to safety. Instead of celebrating Fleming’s courage, the USA Today story focused on the fact that there were no initial police reports of the incident, and, there- fore, Fleming may not be telling the truth. The local

In the harsh spotlight of the

media, even being a “good guy” like Darius Fleming can lead to negative press.

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