NFL.....Ain't Playin' Ya'll
"In the first round of the 2007 NFL draft, the Oakland Raiders select...JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU."
The crowd yays, and Raider fan is happy that their team didn't select a kicker or a special teams specialist. Shoot not happy, but greatly relieved. Also relieved is Russell. Relieved that his name was called first and having to avoid the embarrassment, of not being called until 15, 16 and in Brady Quinn's case, 22nd. But the one thing, Russell and new NFL rookies have to worry about is themselves. And they need not look no further than, Tennessee and Adam "PacMan" Jones. Jones and Cinncinnati Bengal wide receiver, Chris Henry earned themselves some time off from the league, involuntary. Jones was suspended for one full season, while Henry received eight games off for conduct detrimental to the league. As most of you know, Jones was one of the problems in Vegas during the NBA All Star weekend, by instigating a fight/gun fight at a strip club, leaving a bouncer paralyzed. Henry who came into the league in trouble, recently was stopped for driving without a license and arrested for the fourteenth time!
In the past, this type of behavior would be balked at by sports-talk radio host and their fans, and the NFL just let the teams deal with it. In the Bengals case, all blame for the bad behavior of Henry and other Bengal players was about to be placed on the feet of the head football coach, Marvin Lewis. Well. Not no more, the league has stepped in with the good graces of the union and law abiding football players and said "enough."
Now lets get back to the incoming rookies. In the past, rookies who had a questionable past, would get a pass and the team, his supporters and local press would put all discipline on the coach, such as a Bill Parcels. A player like Henry, if under Parcels would probably last exactly one week on the squad after messing up for the second time. A player like Jones, wouldn't be drafted after his antics, but this is the mood in the league. And young rookies coming into the league, now, if they needed to be told, act right. Who would have thought that a young man, would have the opportunity to make millions, playing a game most of us, probably played in a park, on a pop warner or high school team, would risk all the injuries, the pain and hard work to hang with his boys and keep his street cred. Not me. And you wouldn't have to tell me how to act in public. I appreciate the league has symposiums for it's rookies warning them of shady people and stupid deals. Educating them on how to deal with the press, but never a symposium on how to act.
The crowd yays, and Raider fan is happy that their team didn't select a kicker or a special teams specialist. Shoot not happy, but greatly relieved. Also relieved is Russell. Relieved that his name was called first and having to avoid the embarrassment, of not being called until 15, 16 and in Brady Quinn's case, 22nd. But the one thing, Russell and new NFL rookies have to worry about is themselves. And they need not look no further than, Tennessee and Adam "PacMan" Jones. Jones and Cinncinnati Bengal wide receiver, Chris Henry earned themselves some time off from the league, involuntary. Jones was suspended for one full season, while Henry received eight games off for conduct detrimental to the league. As most of you know, Jones was one of the problems in Vegas during the NBA All Star weekend, by instigating a fight/gun fight at a strip club, leaving a bouncer paralyzed. Henry who came into the league in trouble, recently was stopped for driving without a license and arrested for the fourteenth time!
In the past, this type of behavior would be balked at by sports-talk radio host and their fans, and the NFL just let the teams deal with it. In the Bengals case, all blame for the bad behavior of Henry and other Bengal players was about to be placed on the feet of the head football coach, Marvin Lewis. Well. Not no more, the league has stepped in with the good graces of the union and law abiding football players and said "enough."
Now lets get back to the incoming rookies. In the past, rookies who had a questionable past, would get a pass and the team, his supporters and local press would put all discipline on the coach, such as a Bill Parcels. A player like Henry, if under Parcels would probably last exactly one week on the squad after messing up for the second time. A player like Jones, wouldn't be drafted after his antics, but this is the mood in the league. And young rookies coming into the league, now, if they needed to be told, act right. Who would have thought that a young man, would have the opportunity to make millions, playing a game most of us, probably played in a park, on a pop warner or high school team, would risk all the injuries, the pain and hard work to hang with his boys and keep his street cred. Not me. And you wouldn't have to tell me how to act in public. I appreciate the league has symposiums for it's rookies warning them of shady people and stupid deals. Educating them on how to deal with the press, but never a symposium on how to act.
posted by J.C. "Fanz23" Lewis, Jr | 1:53 PM
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