The latest Buccaneer arrest doesn't sit well with Tampa Bay icon Derrick Brooks, a mentor to linebacker Geno Hayes.
Brooks has taken a special interest in advising Hayes, a fellow alumnus of Florida State who replaced No. 55 as Tampa Bay's starting weak-side linebacker when the Buccaneers released the perennial Pro Bowler after the 2008 season.
"No behavior like this is acceptable,'' Brooks said about Hayes, who was arrested early Monday morning for trespassing and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors, outside Tampa's Blue Martini nightclub.
"You don't want something like this to happen to anybody, but you have to learn from it and I think Geno will. It goes back to what Coach (Tony) Dungy said when he came here in 1996 - be in before midnight, don't involve alcohol, don't involve drugs and don't speed. That still applies today. As a player, you get placed in some tough situations sometimes, but you have to stay cool and calm.''
Brooks was glad Hayes called him this week to give his side of the incident.
"You try not to put yourself in those situations, but when it happens you learn from it,'' Brooks said. "I don't believe this is a long-term problem for Geno. Now he knows his antenna has to be on high alert 24 hours a day. He let himself down, first and foremost, and you never want to bring a negative light on your team. You have to remember we had our fair share of problems when I was with the Buccaneers ... we weren't perfect.''
Brooks was glad to hear that several players spoke up Wednesday after Hayes became the fifth Buccaneer player arrested this calendar year.
"I believe the leadership on this club will continue to grow,'' said Brooks. "Coach (Raheem) Morris has his hands on this football team and when you get a bump in the road like this, you deal with it.
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