When he makes headlines like this, the Steelers must feel pretty good about shipping Santonio Holmes off to the Jets for a measly 5th round pick. According to investigators, Holmes had to be escorted off of a flight at Pittsburgh International Airport on Thursday night for being a “disruptive passenger”. No further details about the situation are known — and Santonio wasn’t arrested — but this certainly isn’t the type of publicity the Superbowl 43 MVP needs if he wants to convince fans and the NFL that he’s going to clean up his act.
Holmes is already going to miss the first four games of the upcoming season when he serves a suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Depending on what comes of this situation, Roger Goodell might decide to sideline him for a few more games. The Jets don’t have a lot invested in Holmes after only giving up a fifth rounder, but they could certainly use the help at wide receiver and would probably prefer that he straighten out his act. Between Cromartie, Holmes, and the loud mouths in the Jets organization (led by their head coach), it could turn out to be an entertaining soap opera of a year in New York.
UPDATE: According to ESPN, the reason Santonio Holmes was escorted from the flight was because he refused to turn off his iPod when the crew asked that all electronic devices be turned off so the plane could take off. Wow. Has he ever been on a plane before? I’m pretty much speechless, so here’s what Rex Ryan had to say:
“I know what has been told to me and it kind of got blown out of proportion it sounds like in some of the media outlets and things. I mean, OK, lets face it, he should turn off his iPod. That’s what he should do. He should do that. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Santonio, but he certainly should do that.”
Sources:
“Disruptive” Santonio Holmes booted from a flight in Pittsburgh [WPXI via Pro Football Talk]
Report: Holmes removed from plane [ESPN]
