How Buffalo is reacting to LeSean McCoy after bar fight

Here in Philadelphia, fans and the media alike are fixated on former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy's alleged involvement in a bar fight that left two off-duty police officers in a hospital with injuries ranging from a broken rib to eye lacerations.

But what's the mood like in Buffalo, where McCoy was traded last offseason?

The Bills organization has basically been silent since the incident, releasing a short statement saying, "We are aware of the reports regarding LeSean McCoy and in the process of gathering more information. We will not provide any further comment at this time."

The Bills might be mum, but some Buffalo sports writers seem just as angry as their Philadelphia counterparts about the troubling details emerging from McCoy's alleged involvement in a bar fight.

Longtime Buffalo News columnist Bucky Gleason thinks the Bills should outright cut McCoy from their roster, blaming a lack of curiosity on the team's part for the situation in which they find themselves.

"The Bills are getting what they deserved after making the trade in haste," Gleason wrote. "They have shown a willingness to embrace dubious characters, compromising values for victories with the idea they will someday work in concert."

Toronto Sun columnist Bill Lankhof agrees with Gleason, noting that the Bills are known to be "a halfway house for questionable characters" and that controversy has been McCoy's sidekick since he was traded to Buffalo.

"Too many immature players believe they are entitled; believe the rules of life don't apply to them," Lankhof wrote. "The end game is that McCoy should have walked away. Since he didn't, the Bills should."

Adam Zyglis, the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for the Buffalo News, directed his ire at Bills coach Rex Ryan, whom he slammed for his willingness to sign players with questionable off-field issues:

In addition to McCoy, Ryan brought in talented but troubled players Richie Incognito, Percy Harvin and IK Enemkpali, who once broke Jets quarterback Geno Smith's nose in the locker room. Ryan also drafted Florida State standouts Ronald Darby and Karlos Williams, both of whom had off-field issues.

"While McCoy is certainly responsible for his own actions, this speaks to what appears to be a larger culture problem in the organization under Rex's rein," Zyglis said. "Giving players a second chance paid off with Incognito, but they will have to think hard in the McCoy case since he one of the team's biggest names with a history of controversy."

Despite McCoy's antics since being traded to Buffalo, calls to cut him seem few and far between, as fans and pundits seem in no hurry to discard the starting running back.

"The general sentiment here is the Bills need to wait to see how it plays out," said Sal Capaccio, a host and sideline reporter for WGR 550 SportsRadio. "The Pegula family (owners of the Bills) believe in second chances, and if you're contrite, then everything is going to be OK and we'll be able to win together."

Capaccio doesn't think the Bills are in a rush to make a rash decision about McCoy. He pointed to offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, who was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery against two minors. The charges were later dropped by the parents after a settlement was reached.

Despite the unsettling charges, the Bills stuck with Kromer, who ended up with just a six-game suspension.

"I believe the Bills are going to slow-play this," Capaccio said. "They generally stick by their people."

Leo Roth, a sports columnist for the Democrat and Chronicle, doesn't think the Bills will cut McCoy, either, noting they're up against the salary cap and would incur a $10.5 million hit. But Roth does think that even at this early stage, McCoy should shoulder the blame for putting himself in that situation in the first place.

"He's guilty of letting his team down, letting fans in two cities down, letting his owners down, letting his coaches and teammates down," Roth said. "He's an A-1 knucklehead for being out someplace at 3 a.m. and allowing himself to be embroiled in a fight."

For Roth, it all comes down to McCoy not heeding the advice former head coach Herman Edwards offers to NFL rookies every year: "Nothing good happens after midnight."

"Too bad McCoy is 27 and a seven-year veteran," Roth notes.