Dodge Chargers Are Not Free, Gabe Watson

The Arizona Cardinals are loaded with nefarious characters these days. They've got womanizing quarterbacks, prostitute-soliciting assistant coaches, and now, a defensive lineman who sticks his old high school coach with his car payments.

That would be Gabe Watson, a 6'4" 340-lb. defensive lineman out of Michigan who the Cardinals drafted in the 4th round of the 2006 NFL Draft. You can watch the Fox 2's video here, but to summarize: Watson, before he left Michigan, purchased a Dodge Charger and Coach Jones was good enough to co-sign for it. Watson and his dad were supposed to make the payments, they didn't, it became Jones' responsibility, and, well, high school coaches don't have $500+ a month to burn on an NFL player's Dodge Charger.

So the "Problem Solvers" at Fox 2 in Detroit got involved, put some people on camera, and eventually got the dealership to relieve the coach's financial burden. The NFL, the Arizona Cardinals, and Gabe Watson have yet to respond in any way.

There's a public petition here you can sign, if you're into such things. The last line of the petition reads, "We believe it's nice to be important but it's more important to be nice." That's very sweet, but I think Baxter Jones would have settled for Gabe Watson just not being a total douchebag. Even Chris Henry might be above this.

Generous Dealership Helps Detriot Schoolteacher [MyFox Detroit] Concerned Citizens for Coach Baxter Jones [Team Michigan]