Will the NFL Draft Produce Another Johnny Football?
Unless you have been so engaged in the political conundrum of this country, it was not hard to ignore the constant news of Johnny Manziel this past season and beyond.
One would think that when a young college player is flashing the “pay me the money sign” while playing for Texas A&M, the signs would be clear that this could mean trouble to any team. Unfortunately trouble seems to welcome itself to Paul Brown Stadium every few years. With Manziel, the inability to recognize that he is an alcoholic is bad enough, but to engage in domestic violence was the straw that broke the camel’s back. But this is nothing new in the NFL now is it?
The 2016 NFL Draft will produce another Johnny Football. It’s inevitable because among all the young and athletic talent lies a raging soul who is lost. Let’s face it, young college football players dream of making it in the NFL and hope to one day play on the ultimate stage of the Super Bowl. But it all starts in college when is heard resonating in the stadium, “JOHNNY! JOHNNY!” Strangers start asking for autographs and they start believing the world is their oyster.
Related Story: Will Manziel Join the Draft Busts List?
This is where the pressure begins when they are showered with all the bells and whistles of sports fame and reporters tell you that you are going to be drafted number one. The athlete then begins to slowly grow this sense of entitlement that clouds their ability to discern right from wrong, how much is too much and the word “no” or “stop”. So when they enter the NFL, they are not prepared to handle the mental aspect of being in the NFL and have set themselves up for failure.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
There are numerous players who have fallen victim to instant stardom and the repercussions of what that brings. Among those is rookie draft prospect defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche of Ole Miss. There are concerns about his off field issues, one in particular on December 2015.
Police were called to the Atlanta Grand Hyatt Hotel after Nkemdiche broke a hotel window and fell 15 feet to the ground. He was hospitalized shortly after, needing stitches in his back and legs. According to the Atlanta Police Department, Nkemdiche was charged with possession of marijuana after they found seven marijuana cigarettes in his hotel room.
Now it only takes a spark to get a fire going and if Nkemdiche ever wants to succeed in the NFL he will need to walk away from the party atmosphere and avoid “sparking up”. But then again it is hard to do that when you have the example of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski setting the tone for off-field shenanigans as the king of party central.
The Cleveland Browns have gone down this path before with All-Pro wide receiver Josh Gordon. According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle in 2012, an incident occurred in 2010 of Gordon’s sophomore year at Baylor University. Gordon and teammate Willie Jefferson were found asleep at a local Taco Bell. After searching the car, police found marijuana. Jefferson was kicked off the team and Gordon was only suspended. However in 2011, Gordon was suspended indefinitely for failing a drug test, testing positive for marijuana.
Even with those issues, Gordon was taken in the second round of the 2012 Supplementary Draft. He finished among the top rookie receivers that year with 50 catches, 805 yards and five touchdowns. It all looked great going into the 2013 season as a Pro Bowler, but then the demon that he was able to lock for a few years sprung up and reared its ugly head in 2014. Gordon was arrested for driving while impaired in North Carolina and suspended part of the season. Another failed drug test lost him the entire 2015 NFL season.
More nfl spin zone: Cleveland Browns: 5 Questions That Are Worth Asking
Whether it is Nkemdiche or some other dark horse in the draft, the NFL needs to do a better job in assigning rookies to substance abuse treatment programs prior to playing in the NFL. It is the responsibility of each team that drafts a character-issue player that they get the player the help they need in order to succeed the pressures of the NFL.
If they come with baggage, make sure they leave the baggage in college.