When character takes a back seat.

[Mark Farinella]

There's quite a buzz (no pun intended) about the story in the Globe about the alleged drug use by Patriots' draft pick Aaron Hernandez. But one thing that seems to be lost in the discussion is the fact that certain standards for personal behavior seem to have been thrown out the window where the Patriots' personnel evaluation is concerned.

Take, for instance, the rap sheet on Alabama defensive end Brandon Deaderick -- who was, of course, coached by old FOBB (Friend of Bill Belichick) Nick Saban.

In July 2007, according to Pro Football Weekly, Deaderick was arrested by Tuscaloosa police and charged with resisting arrest, giving a false name to police and criminal mischief -- that being the fact that he cracked the window in the patrol car with his head. "Criminal stupidity" was not one of the charges, it seems.

The outcome was what one might expect from a football-mad college town in the South. Deaderick received youthful offender status, and his community service at a local assisted living facility was arranged personally by Saban.

Fast-forward ahead to five days before the start of the Crimson Tide's 2009 season. Deaderick encounted a would-be robber in the parking lot of his apartment complex and was shot by the thief in the left forearm. The bullet passed through his arm and lodged in his hip, but he still played in all 14 games and started 10.

Then there's the story of outside linebacker Jermaine Cunningham of Florida. In December 2007, Cunningham became an unhappy diner when a restaurant employee told him he had to pay for a bag of potato chips. According the the draft guide, Cunningham started throwing cups at the employee and then bolted, and was later picked up on the Gainesville campus and charged with misdemeanor battery. The charge was later dropped on the grounds of insufficient evidence to support a conviction.

His fellow Gator, linbebacker Brandon Spikes, may also have some anger issues. He drew a brief suspension for trying to gouge the eye of a Georgia defender in 2009.

On the flip side, Rutgers cornerback Devin McCourty, the Patriots' top pick, got high marks for his character and leadership. Michigan punter Zoltan Mesko was almost like a camp counselor to the Wolverines. And Oklahoma State QB Zac Robinson, Ohio WR Taylor Price, Arizona TE Rob Gronkowski, NC State C Ted Larsen, Georgia NT Kade Weston and Vanderbilt OT Thomas Welch all apparently kept their noses clean in college.

But it's also clear that when Bill Belichick thinks he has found a player that can contribute to the success of his team, he has fewer restraints upon him than past coaches or personnel directors over character issues. Apparently, the days of Myra Kraft being able to bully a coach into cutting a character-challenged player a day after his selection -- as Bill Parcells was forced to do with Nebraska DT Christian Peter -- are over.