Chris Ballard says David Parry situation “disapointing,” but Colts still gathering information

So far in his tenure as general manager of the Indianapolis Colts, Chris Ballard hasn’t really made many moves. He’s cut D’Qwell Jackson and signed Fahn Cooper, but that’s about it.

Things will begin to pick up now, however, but at the same time Ballard faces a tough test: what to do about David Parry?

Parry, the Colts’ starting nose tackle the past two seasons, was arrested over the weekend in Arizona in a bizarre golf cart incident in which he was arrested on suspicion of DUI, robbery, theft, criminal damage, and resisting arrest.

“You know, it’s disappointing,” Ballard said of that situation today, on the radio with 1070 the Fan’s Dan Dakich. “We’re still gathering all the information right now. I visited with David, and I’ll keep that between me and David. But we’re still gathering information on that right now.”

If you’re looking for information on what the Colts will do with Parry, you’ll be disappointed with Ballard’s comments on the situation today. He met with Parry on Monday, but he understandably didn’t divulge what was said. Ballard did mention the importance of agents in these situations, as agents know everything that’s going on and you both want the same thing - for the player to perform to the highest of their abilities - so if you have a good relationship with the agent, they’ll communicate with you.

One of the things that Ballard understands in a situation like this is that players are watching to see how he handles it. He spoke about players watching who is signed in free agency, and that led into him acknowledging that players are watching how he handles a situation like this too.

“Absolutely they’re looking at how we handle this,” he agreed. “What I would say is it’s a case-by-case basis. I think sometimes good kids make mistakes, they do. Young kids make mistakes; we forget that in the world today. We forget when we were 20, 21, 22, 23 years old that kids make mistakes and they happen to overcome them and grow from them. I mean, that happens. That happens in life; that’s just part of life. So to me it’s a case-by-case basis.”

“Yeah they’re watching your every [move], so absolutely,” he continued. “Every guy you bring in the building, every guy that makes the 53-man roster [or] is on your practice squad, they want to win too. Damn right they want to win! And so they want you to bring the right type of guys with enough talent with the right football character that have the same goal that they do.”

You can take Ballard’s comments however you want, but it’s clear that he doesn’t think every mistake a guy makes is worth cutting him for. Some may be, though, and that’s why each situation needs to be evaluated separately. And ultimately, he realizes that players are watching how he handles this situation.

But as for specifics? You won’t find any from Ballard; not yet, at least. The line about still gathering information is most probably just a way to deflect having to directly answer the question while they’re still trying to decide what to do. There shouldn’t really be any surprise about what Ballard said, but it’s still not a true answer about what they’ll do with Parry.