From PFW.com
http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFLDraft/Draft+Extras/2003/bikoff033103.htm
Draft Extras
An unfortunate lesson
Prospects need to use their heads
By Ken Bikoff -
[email protected]
March 31, 2003
Terrell Suggs is an idiot.
I decided this Sunday when I heard that he had been involved in an altercation over the weekend that left him with a broken nose and numerous lacerations on his face. Now, I’ve met Terrell Suggs and he seems like a pretty decent guy. He’s certainly one of the top prospects in the draft, and I still believe that he will be one of the top five players selected April 26.
But that doesn’t mean he isn’t an idiot.
First off, let me say that the details surrounding the fight that Suggs was involved in are sketchy at best. As of this writing, he hasn’t been charged with anything and some are saying that he acted out of self-defense. What we know is that he was playing in a “Rock the Rim” three-on-three basketball tournament in the Phoenix area and something happened during the play that resulted in a fight. Whether Suggs provoked the fight or was simply defending himself isn’t important to me at this point. Here’s what I find stunning:
He was playing in a three-on-three basketball tournament.
Who let him do this? Who decided that it was a good idea for Suggs to play basketball less than a month before the draft? Did Suggs think to himself, “You know, I think the best way to make myself forget that I just had a horrible workout in front of a bevy of NFL higher-ups is to play a little hoop over the weekend?”
Less than a month away from becoming one of the top picks in the draft, and Suggs is playing basketball. Personally, if I was one of the top prospects around but hadn’t been drafted just yet, I wouldn’t allow anyone to touch me. I would work out, prepare my body for the draft and spend the rest of the day wrapped in bubble wrap in a room with no windows. I wouldn’t let the cat jump on me while I was sleeping and I certainly wouldn’t do my own cooking. I would just make sure that nothing happened to me until at least draft night, when my future would be set on path.
Everybody is talking about Suggs’ poor workout, but I think too much is being made of the situation. Just as my co-worker, Mike Wilkening, said late last week, Suggs isn’t much of a workout guy and the tape of him playing at Arizona State is the true measure of the player. Who cares how fast he runs the 40 while in shorts and a T-shirt? The game is played in pads and a helmet, and rarely are you asked to run 40 yards at a sprint. But if I’m an NFL team, I’m questioning what kind of head this kid has on him.
Look, I’m not saying that every prospect should stop living their lives completely, even if I exaggerated what I would do myself if I were a hot prospect. Carson Palmer and Jimmy Kennedy and Byron Leftwich all can do whatever they want, and Suggs should be allowed to enjoy his life as well. But playing a three-on-three basketball tournament where ligaments can be torn and ankles can be sprained, especially when you could be a target for every person who wants to say that they took Terrell Suggs to the hole on the hardwood? Terrell, you’ve got to be smarter than that.
At this point, the entire draft is a big “What if?” That’s not a secret or any kind of cool insight. Nobody knows what kind of player Charles Rogers will become. Palmer might be a bust in the making. Rex Grossman might be the next Joe Montana, or he might be the next Heath Shuler. Boss Bailey could become a stud, or he could be Brian Bosworth. But there is no bigger “What if?” than if a player is injured prior to the draft.
Willis McGahee is expected to recover from his shredded knee, but we won’t be sure until he’s tearing it up on the field. Suggs dodged a huge “What if?” by not suffering any severe injury by playing basketball, but he put himself in a situation where he could get injured. Again, the fight is unfortunate and nobody is pleased that Suggs ran into trouble. I hope he recovers quickly and turns in a solid workout next time around that will quiet all the critics. I believe that Suggs is going to be an excellent pickup for some team.
But his weekend should serve as a cautionary tale for draft prospects current and future. Until the draft actually goes down and pen is put to ink on that first big contract, nothing in life is certain. Prospects need to avoid situations that can put their future in danger, even if it means giving up some things you love for a couple of months. There is plenty of time for basketball or skiing or doing anything else that perks up your interest after the draft.
Let Suggs’ unfortunate incident serve as an example and let’s hope he returns stronger than ever, smarter from the experience.
