Charles Rogers Gets More Time With His Stolen Money

Though Charles Rogers didn't technically steal $14.4 million from the Lions, he certainly took it under false pretenses, and then sprinted into NFL irrelevancy. As a matter of fact, if teams working him out last season gave him a sack of cash and pointed him to the door, his 40-times would have probably been much better than the atrocious numbers he actually put up.

And Rogers would have gotten away with the Lions' cash, but like every thief who eventually gets caught, he shot himself in the foot. Now the Lions want $10.184 million of it back, but Rogers gets a little bit of extra time.

The Lions' grievance against former wide receiver Charles Rogers was scheduled for today, but it has been delayed for a later date, the team announced.

The Lions are trying to recoup $10.184 million of Rogers' $14.4-million signing bonus. Rogers' contract included a clause that said if Rogers were suspended for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, he would have to pay back his bonus prorated for the rest of the contract. Rogers served a four-game substance-abuse suspension in 2005.

The NFL Players' Association contends the clause in Rogers' contract is unenforceable based on the collective bargaining agreement between the union and the league. The arbitrator will have to make a decision within three months, barring an extension of the deadline.

If only he was just terrible, the Lions would have let him keep the money to go far, far away. But no. Forget about that scrambled brain/egg metaphor -- this is really why drugs are bad.