The story of the alleged assault of Tila Tequilla by San Diego Chargers Linebacker Shawne Merriman is now coming together.

Before I get into the details I have to ask a question. When will athletes and entertainers understand that regardless of the situation if you put your hands on a woman it is not going to turn out well?

NFL players in general should know that any type of altercation or criminal wrongdoing involving the police can turn badly for them very quickly (see: Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress). No matter how big of a star they are.

When talking about Domestic Violence, even if you are able to use your money and fame to avoid jail time (see: Chris Brown) no amount of money can buy back your reputation.

NFL players need to understand that it doesn’t matter if the justice system even gives them a good deal (see: Donte Stallworth) they are still going to have to deal with Roger Goodell.

How many players are going to have to be suspended and basically barred from the league before these players get it in their head that Goodell could care less about the legal system. He only cares about reputation of the NFL. If you stain that reputation Goodell is going to come down on you and come down on hard.

The Shawne Merriman incident according to San Diego Union Tribune had something to do with Alcohol. The police say that Tila Tequilla was heavily intoxicated when they arrived (I would make a joke about her name right now, but I am trying to be professional cut me some slack). She is claiming that Merriman choked and assaulted her when she attempted to leave his residence. According to the police she was not seriously harmed.

Merriman’s people are saying he was simply trying to prevent her from driving drunk and she is fabricating her claims of assault.

With stories like this the truth is normally somewhere in the middle, but Merriman has to be smarter and should have walked away from the situation and let someone else deal with her if she was truly that drunk.

Now he has put his season, teammates and franchise in jeopardy. I don’t know how many times I have to say it but these athletes have to “smarten up”. It is said we have to check the police blotter as much as we do and it is simply unacceptable.