We posted on Monday night an item that linked to a lengthy story regarding the history of criminal investigations, allegations, arrests, and convictions of Buccaneers tight end Jerramy Stevens. 

The reaction from our readers has been overwhelming.  Some have renounced their loyalty to the Bucs.  Others have turned their backs on the Seahawks, who drafted him out of the University of Washington, and who should have known about his exploits in Seattle better than anyone else.

The most common reaction has been a belief that the story needs to be heard — and that it must be read and understood by every owner, every coach, every scout, every player. 

It is, indeed, a sickening account of a system gone haywire, all in the apparent name of making sure that a football team will have its most talented players available to play.

Special mention should be made at this time that one of Stevens’ early enablers was current Rams head coach Scott Linehan, who went to bat for Stevens back in 1998.  Linehan was going to be Stevens’ position coach at Washington, and Linehan described the decision of Stevens to stomp on the face of a guy who had been hit in the head by a baseball bat face as an “isolated incident,” based on a University background check that showed “nothing but high marks.”  Linehan vowed that Stevens would should “growth and maturity,” and that under the University of Washington’s supervision “this type of incident [will] not occur again.”

Technically, Linehan was right.  To our knowledge, Stevens hasn’t since stomped on the face of anyone who had been hit by a baseball bat.

But Stevens has done other things.  As one reader points out, the brother of Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes is serving 27 years for a non-violent crime; Stevens has only ever gone away for 12 days.

This story needs to continue to be developed.  Hopefully, someone from 60 Minutes has a condo on PFT Planet (and not in the building where Stevens lived in Seattle).  Tough questions need to be posed to Mike Holmgren and Rick Neuheisel and Scott Linehan and Bruce Allen and Jon Gruden and anyone else who granted to Stevens the privilege of playing football for their team.

When Stevens hits the market on February 29, it’ll be interesting to see who gives him his next “second chance.”  Maybe it will be Linehan. 

Then again, he’s already got more than his share of tight ends with rap sheets in Randy McMichael and Dominique Byrd.