The belief that NFL football players can do anything

Now, I remember when I was about 5 years old and someone gave me a handjob in front of my house. I had no idea what that meant, I just assumed it was another way of saying hello. I went into my house to show my mom my new wave and got my skull smashed in with a wooden spoon. I realized that her middle finger was a bad thing and I didn’t bother anyone again, in front of her anyway. As WWF Wrestling grew bigger and bigger; Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Ultimate Warrior, the list goes on and on. I saw someone get hit with a chair once and it looked like it hurt, but he got up right away. So I said, “Let’s try it.” One of my friends hit me with a chair and it hurt like hell. The scary part is, I got the weakest guy I knew to meat me. I could only imagine how much pain I would have felt if my strong friends had helped me.

As I got older, I realized that I wouldn’t imitate everything I saw on TV. We’re not talking about watching cartoons and saying if Wiley E. Coyote falls off a cliff and gets back up again, so can I. He knew those cartoons weren’t real and he knew he wasn’t an idiot. I mean watching movies and watching guys race bikes and do stunts and car races like 150 miles an hour and then when the police come; They are so cunning that the cops have no chance to catch them. Now, going back a few sentences ago, I specified that he was not an idiot. I know if I tried any of those stunts or tricks they do he would either kill me or end up in jail.

So why on God’s green earth do some of these NFL athletes think they can? If you’re a professional soccer player, does that mean you’re above the law and can cheat death? Those are superhero abilities if I remember correctly. Or is it that you can’t go wrong because you’re not the “average” Joe? I have no idea because I’m not a professional athlete. Who knows what’s going through these guys’ skulls. Well, we have a few examples of what happens when NFL players watch movies and try out the stunts:

Kellen Winslow Jr., TE, Cleveland Browns

Movie: Torque, bike stunt videos, etc.

In case you want to know about the movie Torque, it’s basically about motorcycle racing and tons and tons of special effects are used. I have ridden motorcycles and they are great. Using the minimal amount of experience on the bike, I was still able to figure out that most of the movie had some realistic stunts. They were fun to watch, but even the ones that weren’t “enhanced” by a computer, I knew I had no chance of getting anywhere near making them. Once again, I’m not an idiot. So with that being said by an “average” Joe, why would someone as talented, wealthy, and athletic as Winslow think he can? Am I calling you an idiot? You are welcome. All I wonder is why does he think he can do it? He was in a parking lot trying to do tricks and ends up crashing his bike and hurts his knee and is out for the year. Why would you try those stunts? It just doesn’t make any sense. You are making millions of dollars for one reason and that is to play football, why would you do something that would jeopardize your career? Leave the stunts to the professional stuntmen.

Quintin Williams, DB, Miami Dolphins

Movie: Fast and Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious

Videogames: Need for Speed, Midnight Club, Juiced, etc…

Now when it comes to car racing, there are not only movies to watch, there are also video games to play. They are all basically based on the same concept; race cars to earn money and stay away from the police. Have I run in the street before? No. Have I driven a car very fast before? But, of course, who hasn’t. What I’m trying to get at here is that there is a difference between driving a car very fast and racing on the street. Both are dangerous, but there is a bit more danger in street racing. Have I played the video games mentioned above? Yes, I have and will even admit to having one of them. I have a lot of fun playing with them and yes I have a cool car that can hit speeds of over 200mph. Once again, I know I’m not an idiot. I understand that video games and real life don’t compare. I know what I can do in video games that I can’t do in real life. But not Quintin Williams, of course, because he’s a soccer player. He was caught running on the street last week around Dolphin Stadium at speeds in excess of 110 mph. Again, am I calling you an idiot? No, but I’ll call him an idiot because he was drunk while he was running in the street. I’ll admit I drove my modified Porsche drunk to the core but then again, I was in the comfort of my own home playing video games. Williams was doing something that could have cost him his life or someone else’s life because he was street racing and he was drunk. He was a professional football player who made millions but not anymore because one day after his arrest, the Dolphins released him.

The belief that NFL football players have that they can do anything happens all the time. However, if it is not related to movies and video games. It goes way above and beyond with drugs, assaults, jail time and much more. Sometimes he gets a little carried away and nowadays we see more and more sports figures in the news for negative acts off the field than for good plays on the field. Both Winslow and Williams stories have bad endings that prove that it doesn’t matter if you’re an “average” Joe or an NFL football player, what you see on TV isn’t always for you. There’s a reason shows put a “Don’t Try This At Home” stamp at the beginning of their shows. It shouldn’t matter who you are or what you do, stick with what you’re good at and don’t be a jerk!

These Thoughts and Reflections are part of the free weekly ezine called Thehooks Book [http://www.thehooksfootballpicks.com/hooksbook.html]. I’m Dr. D and I’ll talk to you next week.