The Broncos have tarnished their image with misplaced priorities

On Tuesday, a disappointing season took another negative turn for the Broncos when it was announced that Kareem Jackson was suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s Policy and Program on Substances of Abuse. Denver’s starting safety was arrested on Sept. 19 near downtown and charged with driving under the influence, a misstep that resulted in a two-game suspension that will ultimately end Jackson’s season early.

A third-consecutive losing season is bad. Getting dominated in two games by the Kansas City Chiefs is disappointing. And becoming a team that hardly sniffs a primetime game is a fall from grace.

But none of those things should embarrass Broncos Country the most. That dubious position is reserved for the fact that the once-proud franchise leads the NFL in arrests since 2000.

That’s right, since the turn of the century, no team in the league – not the Raiders, not the Bengals, not any of the other usual suspects – has had more players run afoul of the law than the Broncos. According to NFLArrest.com, Jackson’s arrest gives Denver a whopping 52 arrests in the past 20 years, one ahead of Minnesota for the league lead.

The charges run the gamut of offenses, with domestic violence incidents and DUIs topping the list at 13 apiece. It’s a disgraceful litany of misdeeds, one that everyone associated with the organization should be ashamed to have connected with the franchise.

Publicly, the Broncos handle these situations in the best possible manner. They always say the right things whenever another player gets into trouble.

“There are high standards for the personal conduct for all members of our organization and we have expressed our extreme disappointment to Kareem for his poor judgment,” the team said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

That sounds good, but one has to wonder if the organization actually means it. Their actions certainly suggest that they don’t take these kinds of things all that seriously.

Jackson is a perfect example. He was arrested just two games into the season, yet the Broncos and his attorney – Harvey Steinberg, someone the team has one speed dial – were able to slow walk the legal process until there were only two games remaining in the season. In other words, they were able to keep the safety on the field when his presence could help the team.

Now that the Broncos have fallen to 5-9 and are officially eliminated from playoff contention, Jackson found the time to enter his plea and begin serving his suspension. As a result, he’ll miss two meaningless games against the Lions and Raiders, two teams that also have nothing to play for down the stretch, and then return in time for next season.

From a football standpoint, that’s a savvy move. After all, Denver gave Jackson a three-year, $24 million contract, which included a $9 million signing bonus and $14 million guaranteed, to help fortify their secondary. He’s an important part of their plan.

Just two games ago, the safety proved that he was worth every penny. Playing against his former team, Jackson helped the Broncos beat the Texans by recording 11 tackles, intercepting a pass and returning a fumble 70 yards for a touchdown. The performance earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Clearly, having Jackson on the field is good for Denver. His presence makes their defense better, improving the team’s chances of winning.

But the fact that the safety was on the field against Houston, or in any of the other 10 games since his arrest, is part of the problem. It sends a message about what is truly important to the Broncos.

They say there are “high standards for personal conduct” for members of the organization, but the evidence doesn’t suggest that they’re serious about living up to that credo. If they were, they would’ve prioritized Jackson’s punishment ahead of football games.

Perhaps that’s a naïve approach. After all, the most important thing in the NFL is winning games. That’s what drives a team that has won six Super Bowls in the past 17 years to film the sideline signals of one of the worst teams in the league; everyone is always looking for an edge, so it’s hard to expect any franchise to voluntarily put itself at a disadvantage.

That said, the Broncos aren’t just any franchise.

For the past four decades, they’ve been one of the league’s standard bearers in terms of excellence, playing in eight Super Bowls and winning three Lombardi Trophies. They’re a team that has been featured prominently on national television, in commercials and in other marketing efforts, representing the shield at every turn.

They’re also the team that sits atop the standings for most arrests since the start of this millennium. That being the case, they have an obligation to show that they’re trying to rectify the problem. Being the biggest offenders in the league should be all the motivation they need to go against the grain and not put winning first.

That approach would convey a message to everyone, including the players on the roster, that the team is serious about their off-field conduct. Perhaps that would change the franchise’s pattern of misbehavior. Maybe that would reverse the trend.

And it’s not too much to ask. The Broncos need to take this matter seriously. They need to at least try to clean it up.

Instead, the team avoids dealing with these types of issues until they’re convenient. They brush them under the rug until they’ll have the least impact on the football field.

This isn’t about being perfect. It’s not about forgiveness or second chances. No one is expecting the Broncos to turn their back on a player when he makes a mistake.

Yesterday, Jackson was contrite in his statement about the incident, which he issued on Twitter.

“I would like to apologize to the Broncos organization, my teammates and fans. I understand the severity of my lapse of judgment and I will certainly not make this mistake again. I know I am fortunate to play in the NFL and am held to a high standard of professionalism and conduct.”

His words are appreciated. The safety deserves the opportunity to prove that he means them and atone for his mistakes.

But he should’ve done that when it mattered. Then, it would’ve meant something. At that point, the “high standard of professionalism and conduct” would’ve been placed ahead of trying to win a game in Houston or Minnesota or Buffalo.

A 16-30 record since the start of the 2017 season is upsetting. The team’s bungling of their quarterback situation prior to Drew Lock finally taking over was distressing. And the revolving door of coaches and players has been disconcerting.

But none of those things have tarnished the Broncos once-gleaming image as much as the fact that they lead the NFL in arrests since 2000. That’s something that is truly an embarrassment. And it’s something every fan should demand they try to rectify.

Follow @jamesmerilatt