I disagree. I 100% hate what Dareus has done to the franchise but being a 3rd overall pick, putting up a 7.5 sack season and then exploding for a 10 sack season (17.5 sacks from a DT is elite), the gamble was 100% justified. Whaley would have been burned at the stake if he let MD walk.
And as for MD's suspensions crippling a franchise, I feel thats a bit overstated. MD loses that money. The Bills get a salary cap credit for the suspension (correct me if im wrong).
If MD wants to continue down this path he'll be out of the NFL with a ban. We wont be crippled.
I hate MD's stupidity but as a franchise I dont think we had much of a choice at the time. How we now go forward from here with MD is another story.