A few things about Chad

Read the Sunday column before you decide I want him traded.
I don't.

Ask yourself where the Trade Chad discussion started. It wasnt in the media.

Read the book I wrote with him. It explains who he is, why he is how he is, and where he comes from.

Read Chapter1. See if it doesnt sound a lot like what I wrote Sunday.

Everything written Sunday has been said to Chad by his closest friends and associates, many, many times, most recently by his mentor Charles Collins, after the New England game. "Channel your emotions properly'' has been the message for years.

Chad doesnt need to attract attention to himself anymore. He's household. He's too old to behave the way he does, on the field and behind closed doors. If you dont think his actions have negative repercussions in a losing locker room, you've never been in a losing locker room.

He's not the reason the Bengals are 2-4, obviously. He's merely today's column and/or talk show topic. I hadnt written about Chad all year, unless you count the fluff I wrote over the summer about his trip to Africa. But as an opinion writer, I'm not going to ignore an issue that has gone national.

If you think I'm tough, check out Ditka, Parcells, Esiason etc on TV and Whitlock in print. I know Chad a whole lot better than any of those people, so I give him the benefit of the doubt.

Bottom line: Skip the celebrating, unless it's with your teammates. Stop giving your emotions free rein. You're almost 30 years old.