Jabaal Sheard is a defensive end for the University of Pittsburgh football team. Sheard is 6-4 and weighs 260 lbs. On the football field he wows his coaches and Pitt fans with his ability to push offensive linemen and punish opposing quarterbacks, as evidenced by Sheard’s five sacks last season. Recently though, Sheard was involved in an incident where he did some pushing and punishing off the field that has his coaches and the Pittsburgh fan base doing anything but cheering.

Jabaal was arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly throwing a man through the glass door of an art gallery located in downtown Pittsburgh. Sheard was eventually taken into police custody, but only after being pepper sprayed by police. The Pittsburgh player has been arraigned on charges that include aggravated assault and resisting arrest.

University of Pittsburgh spokesman E.J. Borghetti said that Sheard has been suspend from team activities while the athletic department investigates the incident. There has been no word yet as to whether Jabaal will be suspended for the Panther’s season opener against Utah on September 2nd. Jabaal Sheard started all thirteen games last season for Pittsburgh and was projected to be one of the Panthers starting defensive ends once again this season.

The effects of this incident may have farther reaching consequences for Sheard than just possibly being suspended. Jabaal is on the radar of many NFL teams for next April’s 2011 NFL Draft. CBS Sports projects Sheard to be a second or third round draft selection. It goes without saying though that this incident will definitely hurt Jabaal’s draft stock. For the most part NFL teams look into a draft prospects character just as thoroughly as they look into his football skills. Just last year, Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount went from a highly regarded NFL draft prospect to eventually not being drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft after Blount punched Boise State’s Byron Hout in the face during postgame handshakes. The fact that this particular Oregon game against Boise State was nationally televised on ESPN and that the incident was shown in real time didn’t help Blount either. Blount was allowed to rejoin Oregon later in the season and actually played in the Duck’s Rose Bowl game against Ohio State. The fact that NFL teams chose to pass on him all together in the draft shows how seriously NFL teams take character issues.

That is why Jabaal should have reason to be concerned. Allegedly throwing someone through a glass door will be damaging enough, but Sheard will no doubt also have to explain to NFL teams in interviews why he needed to be pepper sprayed. This is simply a situation that no one benefits or wins from; not the man who was thrown through a glass door, not the University of Pittsburgh football team, and certainly not Jabaal Sheard.