A rant on wasted opportunity

[zydecochris]

PROPOSAL/CONTRACT: The NFL proposes to pay you tens of millions of dollars to play a game. With some stewardship of this money, you should be rich beyond most people’s dreams for the rest of your life. You will be the hero to your new hometown fans. Every head will turn when you walk into a restaurant or bar. Men will admire you. Women will want to be with you and many will throw themselves at you. Basically, your life will be one that every football fan would give their left arm to live.

CONTRACT STIPULATIONS: However, in return for those tens of millions of dollars and that dream life, there are a few minimal contract stipulations you have to agree to. You should not show up at the first day of work with with previously undisclosed severe injuries (say, from dog bites). You need to have some minimal participation in team injury rehabilitation activities. You need to at least pretend some slight interest in your team and its success. It is OK to party some, but don’t go off the deep end. Don't be partying the night before a game or show up at practice drunk. Don’t batter women. Don’t get caught doing drugs, and if you do and get suspended, definitely don’t get caught a second or third time. You can be a turd, but don’t be such an unbelievable turd that your team can’t stand you. Don’t get involved with criminal gangs. Don’t kill anybody.

Who among us wouldn’t run to sign this agreement? Making tens of millions of dollars, be everybody’s hero, having women throw themselves at you? And all you have to do is to somewhat behave yourself during the time of the contract? Who among us wouldn’t give almost anything for this opportunity?

And guys like Easley, Manziel, and Gordon (not to mention a certain MA prison inmate) can’t abide by these rules for a short time while they are making millions and millions of dollars? It is just unbelievable to me. I know they are young, but how could anyone throw away such an opportunity?

OK, rant over, I feel better. Back to our regularly scheduled programming.

 

[Fencer]

How did Easley violate them?

 

[SlowGettingUp]

How did Easley violate them?

You should not show up at the first day of work with with previously undisclosed severe injuries (say, from dog bites). You need to have some minimal participation in team injury rehabilitation activities.

 

[zydecochris]

How did Easley violate them?

"— Easley couldn’t participate in rookie minicamp because of “injuries to his ankles, arms, and wrists sustained when bitten by his pet pitbull two weeks before the draft,” according to Volin. Easley didn’t tell teams about the injuries before the draft."

"— Easley “ignored requests to rehab his injuries with the Patriots’ trainers, and instead did it on his own,” according to Volin. "

"— Easley would never listen to medical advice, a source told Volin."

For more examples, see: Report: Dominique Easley Released By Patriots For Unreliability, Immaturity

 

[Fencer]

nm

 

[Fencer]

"— Easley couldn’t participate in rookie minicamp because of “injuries to his ankles, arms, and wrists sustained when bitten by his pet pitbull two weeks before the draft,” according to Volin. Easley didn’t tell teams about the injuries before the draft."

"— Easley “ignored requests to rehab his injuries with the Patriots’ trainers, and instead did it on his own,” according to Volin. "

"— Easley would never listen to medical advice, a source told Volin."

For more examples, see: Report: Dominique Easley Released By Patriots For Unreliability, Immaturity

Thanks. That has enough detail that even though it's Volin, it's probably more or less accurate.

 

[Jercules]

Well, that dream game is brutally violent and takes years off your life. Go tell Earl Campbell how lucky he was.

Previously undisclosed injuries.... how much money would he lose had he disclosed any issues, and suddenly plummeted in the draft? Would you BS a potential employer a little bit for an extra couple hundred thousand dollars (if not millions)?

And as far as his "unreliability" and "immaturity"... why is it we never get the player's side of these things? Is it so crazy that a guy would rather listen to his own medical advice, from people who have his best interests at heart, than a team doctor who's incentivized to get the guy back on the field asap?

Maybe Easley is a raging nut, I don't know. I just don't think we should be so quick to swallow the team's line on this, even if they do win a lot of football games.

 

[oldrover]

This belongs in the Pablo Sandoval forum.

 

[TheFlyingWedge]

why is it we never get the player's side of these things? Is it so crazy that a guy would rather listen to his own medical advice, from people who have his best interests at heart, than a team doctor who's incentivized to get the guy back on the field asap?

Maybe Easley is a raging nut, I don't know. I just don't think we should be so quick to swallow the team's line on this, even if they do win a lot of football games.

Interesting points - athletes who don't have an open mind to medical advice outside of team "oriented" doctors could be subjecting themselves to a perspective that might not have the best alignment with the players.

The most sensible rationale for cutting Easley loose are that football didn't seem to be important to him. That's enough for me.

 

[fnordcircle]

These are young men still half a decade from being fully-mature who have had everything they wanted thrown at them since they were 15. They've maybe even gotten away with **** they shouldn't have. They typically come from poor families, leaving them ill-prepared to handle a sudden influx of huge cash amounts, and have no real idea about what the world is like let alone what it is to be held accountable. Colleges bent over backwards for them, maybe even gave them stuff on the sly, and every day was like a party.

Then they hit the real world of the NFL where they've gone from everyone covering for them to having to answer for their actions.

Many of them are forced to grow up, some of them don't. But they aren't the only ones who had a hand in their becoming emotionally stunted manbabies along the way, their family and schools enabled them to behave like little ****s with no responsibility and get away with it.

It's no wonder that we have people who just can't handle it.

 

[doesntmatter1]

This whole thread sounds like why do all the cheating douche bags get all of the hot chicks/great things in life and nice guys finish last lol.

On a serious note, I don't want to judge Easley too harshly. He didn't trust team doctors and I can't blame him. Doctors are not always right and they don't always have your best interests in mind. Maybe he was a bad teammate. I remember seeing him easily annoyed by Chandler Jones. Lastly, football might not be that important too him especially after so many injuries. There were clear signs that he didn't love football when he stated that he didn't enjoy watching it pre-draft and preferred cartoons. I like cartoons as much as the next guy but sheesh, at least lie about it.

 

[DarrylS]

When most kids grow up with an NFL pedigree, they are told to be good citizens and delay their gratification for a short period of time as they will become rich quickly. You can teach them how to play the game, but sometimes are less effective at teaching them to become good teammates..

I have an issue with unnamed sources.. remember the smear campaign when Terry Francona left town??

 

[IllegalContact]

When most kids grow up with an NFL pedigree, they are told to be good citizens and delay their gratification for a short period of time as they will become rich quickly. You can teach them how to play the game, but sometimes are less effective at teaching them to become good teammates..

I have an issue with unnamed sources.. remember the smear campaign when Terry Francona left town??

You have plenty of issues with named sources, also

Fact is, he's gone and the Pats would not have dumped him if there was value in keeping him....the rest is noise

 

[SLGDEV]

These are young men still half a decade from being fully-mature who have had everything they wanted thrown at them since they were 15. They've maybe even gotten away with **** they shouldn't have. They typically come from poor families, leaving them ill-prepared to handle a sudden influx of huge cash amounts, and have no real idea about what the world is like let alone what it is to be held accountable. Colleges bent over backwards for them, maybe even gave them stuff on the sly, and every day was like a party.

Then they hit the real world of the NFL where they've gone from everyone covering for them to having to answer for their actions.

Many of them are forced to grow up, some of them don't. But they aren't the only ones who had a hand in their becoming emotionally stunted manbabies along the way, their family and schools enabled them to behave like little ****s with no responsibility and get away with it.

It's no wonder that we have people who just can't handle it.

It doesn't matter one bit who else may have "contributed to it". In the end the SOLE responsibility for the individual is that individual himself or herself.

I am so sick and tired of the "bleeding hearts" who refuse to put the blame where it belongs!

 

[Ross12]

These are young men still half a decade from being fully-mature who have had everything they wanted thrown at them since they were 15. They've maybe even gotten away with **** they shouldn't have. They typically come from poor families, leaving them ill-prepared to handle a sudden influx of huge cash amounts, and have no real idea about what the world is like let alone what it is to be held accountable. Colleges bent over backwards for them, maybe even gave them stuff on the sly, and every day was like a party.

Then they hit the real world of the NFL where they've gone from everyone covering for them to having to answer for their actions.

Many of them are forced to grow up, some of them don't. But they aren't the only ones who had a hand in their becoming emotionally stunted manbabies along the way, their family and schools enabled them to behave like little ****s with no responsibility and get away with it.

It's no wonder that we have people who just can't handle it.

I can't find the part of this post I'm supposed to laugh at, and I'm confused.

 

[zydecochris]

This whole thread sounds like why do all the cheating douche bags get all of the hot chicks/great things in life and nice guys finish last lol.

I guess it does sound a little like that, LOL. I am way past the age where I dream about being a NFL player with the associated perks. However, for a 23 year old guy think of what an ADVENTURE it would be! The ability to set yourself financially for life by age 30, what an OPPORTUNITY! When I was at that age I was working myself to death in graduate school trying to support a family on a graduate stipend. What I wouldn't have given for that opportunity.

There is a member of my wife's family that has turned herself into a bit of a Youtube personality, and she was invited on one of those Racing reality shows with her Dad, who is a non-show biz professional type. Since he is non-show biz, his attitude toward being on this show is: "What an adventure!" "This is fun!", "What a great opportunity!", "Don't screw this up". The opposite of entitlement or "I deserve this".

I guess that is what I want from those players, for them to wake up every day and think: "what a great opportunity and adventure, don't screw this up", mostly so they won't be beating themselves up for the rest of their life about squandering the opportunity.

On a serious note, I don't want to judge Easley too harshly. He didn't trust team doctors and I can't blame him. Doctors are not always right and they don't always have your best interests in mind. Maybe he was a bad teammate. I remember seeing him easily annoyed by Chandler Jones. Lastly, football might not be that important too him especially after so many injuries. There were clear signs that he didn't love football when he stated that he didn't enjoy watching it pre-draft and preferred cartoons. I like cartoons as much as the next guy but sheesh, at least lie about it.

I was mostly talking about Manziel, Gordon, and the Inmate (I am sure that it is a little less fun being on the DL than being a QB or receiver) and I included Easley because I am so disappointed that a guy with that much talent won't be contributing to the Pats. I don't know how egregious his behavior was, but it is clear that with a different attitude he would still be on the Pats.

 

[signbabybrady]

 

[fnordcircle]

It doesn't matter one bit who else may have "contributed to it". In the end the SOLE responsibility for the individual is that individual himself or herself.

I am so sick and tired of the "bleeding hearts" who refuse to put the blame where it belongs!

So if, hypothetically, bobody around him taught him accountability it's still all his fault and only pink liberal ***s would say otherwise, got it.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

So if, hypothetically, bobody around him taught him accountability it's still all his fault and only pink liberal ***s would say otherwise, got it.

 

[Tony2046]

It doesn't matter one bit who else may have "contributed to it". In the end the SOLE responsibility for the individual is that individual himself or herself.

I am so sick and tired of the "bleeding hearts" who refuse to put the blame where it belongs!

It was his sole responsibility and he is the only one who got cut from the team. Nobody, at least from what I've read, is criticizing the team for re-leasing (haha) him.

Defending a player's actions and explaining a player's actions are two different things.