By: Alex LaGrone
There have been some players in the NFL with character issues surfacing recently. The NFL is a brand name and the league is trying to protect that brand. The league wants character players to protect it's image. The NFL Scouting Combine for college players is where players show off their skills for scouts, in hopes of enhancing his chances of being a high draft pick or selected by teams in the league. The draft will be held next month.
Not only do the scouts get to see the players physical skills, but they also get a chance to do one on one interviews. When talking to a prospect about issues in his past (good or bad), a good scout will already know the answers to the questions before they are asked. How he responds to the questions can make a significant difference as to whether or not teams want to consider drafting him.
When it comes to possible gang involvement, the league is worried that if a player had gang involvement, he could become a victim of extortion or violence. At the Combine each player has a front and back picture taken. Not only the pictures used to see a players physique, but to check for any tattoos or markings to determine if any of them are gang related. If they are determined to be gang related, then the scout would do more research on that player. Scouts choose to leave no stone unturned when it comes to making a possible multi-million dollar investment.
This brings us to former Philadelphia Eagles WR DeSean Jackson, who was recently released by his team. This came as a surprise to some because Jackson is considered to be the best player on the team. Jackson is coming off of a career best season with 82 catches for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns. The Eagles stated his release was due to his possible gang relations, bad attitude, and missing multiple meetings.
In an incident earlier this year involving Jackson, Philadelphia police were investigating a home burglary in which Jackson's home was robbed. It was reported that $325,000.00 in cash and jewelry, along with a hand gun was taken; two hundred thousand in cash and $125,000.00 in jewelry. The police said they still had no immediate suspects in the case.
There have been many incidents from players in the league and more than likely there always will be. It's not like the NFL is full of thugs and jailbirds. There are many players who do great things in the community. The league is richer than ever and the television ratings are off the chain. Players need to understand that it's a privilege to play a game (yes a game) and get paid for it.
Since his release from the Eagles, Jackson has signed a contract with the Washington Redskins. The Redskins have been known to take risks in the past with troubled players. They understand this is a high risk/high reward situation. If everything goes well, the Redskins will have one of the better offenses in the league with a healthy quarterback named Robert Griffin III, better known as RG3, running the show.
