With the Miami Dolphins practicing for the first time after the team cut WR Chad Johnson following his arrest for domestic violence, head coach Joe Philbin spoke about the team's decision, saying "it was not an easy one."
"I'd like to address the roster move we made last night," Philbin said Monday morning. "As with any type of these decisions, it was not an easy one. It was not reactive. Nor was it based on one single incident. In making these decisions we base our evaluations on a set of criteria that supports our organizational goals and includes the player's performance both on and off the field.
"Essentially, we take into account the overall body of evidence to determine whether an individual is the right fit for this organization, and more specifically, this football team," he continued. "That's how we made previous decisions and will continue to do so moving forward."
"I believe we are going to move forward," Philbin concluded regarding Johnson, saying Johnson no longer seemed like he fit into the team culture. "It wasn't done to send a message. It was done because it didn't feel right. That's why it was done."
Count LB Karlos Dansby as one who disagrees with his team's decision. Dansby appeared on WMEN-AM's Sid Rosenberg Show Monday morning, when he said the team should have backed Johnson instead of cutting him.
"I hate that we didn't stand behind him," Dansby said. "I know the guys in the locker room would. But the organization felt a totally different way about the situation, and they probably had more information than we know. And they had to do what they had to do."
Dansby is not afraid to speak his mind, though usually he sticks to pronunciations of greatness, like when he claimed in May that he expects the Dolphins to win an AFC championship in 2012. He also was quick to criticize Dolphins fans hoping the team would lose all of its games last season in order to draft then-Stanford QB Andrew Luck, saying, "It's not right bro. It's not right."
On Monday, he said the decision to cut Johnson would be a distraction, proving his own point by potentially turning it into a bigger controversy than it already is. "It's going to be an even bigger distraction right now, I think, because of the simple fact we let him go," he said, seemingly without a hint of irony.
"I think if we were going to be with the guy, if he was going to be our guy, we have to stand behind him -- even though the situation came about. He didn't get that third strike."
However, Dansby was more reserved when reporters asked for his thoughts on the Johnson situation later Monday morning. "Any organization is not going to stand for that," he said. "The NFL period won't stand for it. We gotta man up and be responsible for our actions."
The Dolphins' front office probably does not want one of the team's leaders openly questioning its moves so publicly, and Philbin said as much to NFL.com on Monday. When asked to comment on Dansby's comments, Philbin said, "You have a boss, I have a boss."
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"I don't always agree with what the boss says every single time. I'm of the opinion that you should keep things in house in that regard."
The 911 call of the alleged incident was released Monday by Davie Police. In it, the couple's next-door neighbor reports the incident with Johnson's wife inside his home.
"I think it was just a misunderstanding, but we're worried that he's going to come and get upset," he told dispatch.
The neighbor, who said Evelyn Lozada was alert but would probably need stitches, asked that police not turn the alleged dispute into a big scene.
"Let's just try, if we can, let's not make a big scene about it until the police get here because we're worried that he's going to get mad and he's a high-profile person," the caller said.
He told authorities that Lozada suffered from "a nice cut on her forehead" after Johnson "hit her with his head," and added that the football star may be looking for his wife in a black Smart car.
