Report: Packers feared Josh Sitton would become problem child in locker room

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As tends to be the case with such situations, there was more beneath the surface that led to the Green Bay Packers’ surprising release of Josh Sitton.

According to Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the Packers cut Sitton in part because they feared him becoming a problem in the locker room and negatively impacting younger plays.

Sitton was said to be loud and opinionated in the locker room, going as far as to criticize personnel moves, decisions made by the coaches, and even some of his teammates. He had a penchant for arguing as well. The Packers were willing to put up with this sort of behavior when Sitton was performing at an elite level, but at age 30, chronic back problems and sagging play made the Packers see him as no longer worth it. The last straw was reportedly when the team’s coaches took notice of younger linemen picking up some of Sitton’s bad habits, and that helped prompt the team to pull the plug.

Sitton ended up cut in a move that surprised outsiders and landed with the Chicago Bears. It sounds, though, like this didn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knew the whole story.

Football – Larry Brown Sports
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Friends fear Doc Gooden is on way to death with cocaine problem

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Darryl Strawberry is trying to get through to Doc Gooden because he’s fearful that his former New York Mets teammate is on a destructive path that could end with death.

Strawberry expressed concern last week after the former Cy Young pitcher missed an interview they were scheduled to do on WFAN. Doc dismissed Strawberry’s public concern for him, which only led Darryl to amplify his worries.

Strawberry told the New York Daily News’ John Harper that he believes Gooden has an out of control cocaine problem.

“I have to try something before he’s dead,” Strawberry told Harper about his efforts to get through to Doc.

“He’s a complete junkie-addict,” Strawberry said. “I’ve been trying behind the scenes to talk to him and get him to go for help, but he won’t listen. He thinks he can manipulate and BS his way through everything. His son called me to beg me to help his dad before he dies.”

Strawberry described Doc’s condition as “horrible” and like he’s suffering from “cocaine poison.”

A woman with whom Doc was living left him in February because his cocaine usage turned him into a “cocaine monster,” she said. The woman says Doc has been in a downward spiral since Jan. 2014. Strawberry doesn’t think Gooden even weighs 150 pounds now.

Strawberry came forward to the Daily News as a last measure to try exposing Gooden’s problems so that the former pitcher gets help. Gooden apparently would talk about getting help but would not take that step forward.

Now those closest to him are seeking one of their last resorts, which is publicly exposing the problem in hopes that Gooden will finally help things out. Strawberry is worried that Gooden has gotten worse after his mother died in July.

Baseball – Larry Brown Sports
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