A day after Vikings safety Dwight Smith was cited in a downtown Minneapolis stairway for indecent exposure, head coach Brad Childress addressed the situation after the team’s morning walkthrough. “I want everybody to know that we are committed to the Vikings organization – myself, our staff, our football team, our organization – to do things the right way,” said Childress. “That is one of the things that I’ve been charged with, and I’m disappointed when we are able to be judged outside of those white lines that we work so hard to prepare for. It mars what we’ve done on Saturday night, so many good things.” This was not Smith’s first run-in with the law during his career in the NFL. In 2003 he was arrested for brandishing a handgun in a road rage incident, and in 2005 he was charged with pulling a pellet gun on two people in a McDonald’s drive through. The latter charge was eventually dropped. One has to wonder given Smith’s past indiscretions if it was a good idea to sign him in the first place, but Childress seemed confident in the decision to bring Smith into the fold. “I looked into Dwight’s (criminal record) before we signed him, and I was comfortable with what I learned from different organizations that he has been with,” said Childress. “From Mike (Tomlin) having spent time with him and it’s a shame that this has painted him in that light.” Childress knew coming into the situation here in Minnesota that he had to make some changes in terms of the culture around the team and other discipline issues, and early on he’s getting quite the stern test. “They understand my disappointment and that we what to get things right,” explained Childress. “When you change a culture, just because you are here for six months or eight months, that culture does not change immediately. But that is certainly the goal, and we are not going to stop trying to get that right.” There is no indication that Smith will be released because of the incident, especially after fellow safety Tank Williams was lost for the season early in training camp with a knee injury. However when asked about the possibility of releasing Smith, Childress did not seem committed to any particular course of action. “You never want to make assumptions, but like I said, I’ll deal with that when I get all the facts.” In any event, this latest episode has helped to keep the shadow of past indiscretions hanging over the Vikings for foreseeable future.
