What are they getting in him in terms of a person?
Triplett: That’s the big question, isn’t it? They should get the benefit of Galette being humbled by his stunning fall from grace in New Orleans. He’s got a lot of good qualities -- his passion being No. 1, as coach Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis both stressed after his exit. He has a huge personality, for better and worse. He won a media appreciation award two years ago and was elected captain by his teammates.
Clearly, there are maturity issues, though. He can be brash and outspoken and had some clashes with teammates. And the pattern of off-the-field issues was most disturbing.
Were there signs of issues before this past season? When did it turn bad for him?
Triplett: There were some of the same issues back in college, when Galette also got kicked out of Temple and wound up going undrafted out of Stillman. But the Saints had been impressed enough by his ability to overcome those issues to sign him to a four-year, $41.5 million contract extension just 10 months ago. GM Loomis said he thought the arrow was pointing up, and that it was a good deal at the time.
The problems really started after that. According to sources and reports, Galette’s big contract and being elected captain may have gone to his head a bit. And the Saints’ losing season makes stuff like that fester – as I wrote this morning, Galette was hardly the only locker-room issue for the Saints last year. … But like I said, the off-field stuff was especially disturbing since it showed a pattern of poor decision-making.
Maybe the Saints would have offered him a second chance under different circumstances, but not at a time when they’re so intent on improving the team’s culture and character.