Charlie Scaturro is rooting for the former Nebraska star and current Dallas Cowboy, because we all have obstacles to overcome.
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Sports have a funny way of creating imaginary boundaries.
The jersey a player is wearing can mean the difference between love and hate. Arbitrary color schemes and words evoke strong emotions and take on greater meaning. Strangers with the same logo on their shirt feel instantly connected to one another and instantly united against everyone wearing a different logo. Some fans have even cheered the injury of another human being simply because they play for the opposing team.
These sometimes-ugly truths of fanhood not withstanding, I root for the Giants but I will also be rooting for Randy Gregory even though he was drafted by the Cowboys in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft a few weeks ago. For many fans, crossing that imaginary line of sports allegiances to root for a player on the wrong team is out of the ordinary.
But Randy Gregory’s situation is also out of the ordinary.
How else can you explain a player who, by all accounts, should have been one of the first guys selected in the draft sliding out of the first round completely? Based on talent alone, he might have been the first pass rusher off the board. Instead, 59 players were selected before Gregory heard his name called.
Depending on whom you ask, you’ll hear all kinds of explanations as to why Gregory slipped so far on draft day.
- He was seen as a substance abuse risk after he failed the combine drug test in February
- Some evaluators questioned his ability to endure the mental rigors of being an NFL player
- Many felt Gregory’s maturity and decision-making had the potential to get him into trouble off the field
Of course, the process of evaluating players for the NFL Draft can quickly turn from a fact-finding exercise into a circus. Perhaps that’s what happened in Gregory’s case. I really couldn’t say one way or the other.
What I do know is that not much of the criticism had anything to do with Gregory’s performance on the field. But there were enough red flags off the field to give every team serious pause when it came to drafting the All-American from Wisconsin. So much so that nearly every team in the league passed on him not once, but twice.
We root for and like players largely because they play for our favorite team, not because of who they actually are. Though this sentiment seems to be changing, we still care exponentially more about who the player is on the field than who he is off it.
The vast majority of the time, front offices make decisions based on which players give their team the best chance to win. As Cardinals GM Steve Keim so eloquently put it: “If Hannibal Lecter ran a 4.3, we’d probably diagnose it as an eating disorder.”
Lest we forget, the NFL is a business.
And this business has made billions upon billions of dollars by monetizing the athlete while largely disregarding the human being living inside of that athlete’s body. Which is why the reports about Randy Gregory in the weeks leading up to the draft caught my eye. They brought a decidedly human element to the ‘business as usual’ modus operandi that surrounds major professional sports.
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I hope Randy Gregory has a successful NFL career, but more than that, I hope he lives a successful life. I don’t know exactly what he’s going through, and ultimately, that’s a private matter. It’s none of our business. But he has acknowledged he needs help and seems to be committed to getting it.
Whatever may or may not be going on, I’m rooting for Rand Gregory.
I’m rooting for him because none of us are perfect.
I’m rooting for him because maybe one day he can become a spokesperson for mental health (if he is indeed dealing with something in that sphere).
I’m rooting for him because we all have our own personal demons.
I’m rooting for him because there are few things more inspirational than seeing someone overcome personal challenges to succeed.
Even if he does play for the Dallas Cowboys.
Even if it would make Jerry Jones look like a genius.
It’s not about football, or making money, or 40 times, or Jerry Jones. It’s about a person. A person who sounds like a genuinely good guy who is also in need of help. This is about hoping a 22-year old kid can get this thing right.
I’ll be rooting for him to do so, regardless of what jersey he’s wearing.
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Photo Credit: Associated Press/File
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