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Scripps Howard News Service
Originally published 01:45 p.m., April 23, 2008
Updated 01:45 p.m., April 23, 2008
Recent conversations between NFL teams and former Arkansas football coach Houston Nutt concerning former star RB Darren McFadden eventually all head in the same direction.
“When they start questioning Darren’s character, now that really bothers me,” said Nutt, now at Ole Miss. “This is a good kid who was the first at practice every day and the last to leave. A ’yes sir, no sir’ type kid.”
But as Saturday’s NFL draft approaches, it seems as if McFadden, Heisman Trophy runner-up the last two seasons when he also won the Doak Walker Award as college football’s top running back, is being portrayed as Public Enemy No. 1.
Two off-the-field problems in the last three years — both times defending one of his brothers at Little Rock bars — and McFadden’s being involved in two paternity suits, have some NFL teams wondering if he has a Pacman Jones gene. McFadden may have slipped all the way to Oakland with the fourth overall pick, though the New York Jets (with the No. 6 pick) might trade with the Raiders to grab McFadden.
“I think I’m the best player in the draft, but it gets nerve-wracking under that microscope,” McFadden said. “You’re critiqued for every footstep you take. I want people to know that I’ve learned a lot from what’s happened.”
McFadden’s latest problem came in January when he and his younger brother got involved in a late-night fight at the Ernie Biggs Piano Bar in Little Rock’s River Market. Although McFadden was not arrested, he was briefly handcuffed.
An Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article reported that Ernie Biggs owner Daniel Bryant showed McFadden’s attorney, Frank Shaw, videotape of the fight allegedly involving McFadden and then-bouncer Brant Hankins. The article said Bryant demanded $500,000, or he’d sell the tape.
After Shaw reviewed the tapes and determined McFadden “had no culpability involving the incident with Brant Hankins,” Shaw told the Democrat-Gazette, Bryant denied everything, and Hankins withdrew a claim against McFadden seeking half a million for the fight.
“Teams for the most part have not made Darren’s character an issue,” said Chris Mortensen, ESPN’s NFL draft analyst, whose son, Alex, has been one of McFadden’s Arkansas teammates. “It’s fair to call the incidents ’red flags.’ Atlanta probably would have taken him at No. 3 but got scared off (because of its problems with Michael Vick).
“Those off-the-field incidents have cost Darren probably three or four draft spots and $4 (million) to $5 million. He’s a good kid, and I’m sure he wishes he could take some incidents back.”
Meanwhile, McFadden’s character has been left twisting in the wind. He said that although he understands why teams have questions, they should also get to know him first.
“People want to question my character because I’ve put myself in a couple of bad situations,” McFadden said. “I’ve been open about it. When teams ask me about it, I’ve answered them and told them what happened. You can’t run from it. That’s not the way to deal with it.
“If teams talk to my teammates or my old coaches, they tell them I have great character. The people who know me know that I’m a great kid.”
There certainly are no issues with McFadden’s football skills. He’s the second-leading rusher in Southeastern Conference history, behind Georgia’s Herschel Walker, racking up 4,590 yards with 41 touchdowns and 22 100-yard rushing games in three seasons.
Former Dallas Cowboys player personnel director Larry Lacewell, now a consultant to Cowboys president and owner Jerry Jones, has seen McFadden play in person several times the last two years. And as much as Lacewell enjoyed McFadden in person, he liked him even more after studying him on tape this past weekend.
“McFadden may be the fastest running back (4.33 seconds in the 40) that I’ve ever graded on film,” Lacewell said. “He’s huge (6-1-1/4, 211 pounds) and has a tremendous burst. He’s not a big shake-and-bake guy. He’s not like a Reggie Bush or a see-the-hole guy like Emmitt Smith.
“But if there is a crack there, he hits it and hits it hard. And if the hole is closed, he has the speed to get to the boundary. He played against as many eight- and nine-man fronts as you can possibly play against. He still had some great games against some great defenses, like LSU (206 yards rushing, three TDs, one passing TD) and Alabama (195 yards, two TDs). It was God Almighty pitiful what he did to South Carolina (321 yards, one TD).”
Lacewell said McFadden’s only fault, if you can call it that, is his willingness to seek contact.
“If he doesn’t get himself killed in the league by being so tough, he’ll have a great career,” said Lacewell, who compares McFadden’s running style to that of former Oklahoma star Adrian Peterson, who just finished his first season with Minnesota as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. “I’d rather tell a guy not to be tough than to teach him to be tough. I think McFadden will learn to protect himself better.”
And that includes off the field.
Mortensen said that the biggest question teams have is whether McFadden, like a lot of youngsters who become instant millionaires, can handle the sudden riches.
“When you’re in college, you’ve never had this much money or this much time,” Mortensen said. “When Darren goes to the league’s rookie seminar in June, he’s going to be shown a lot of data that family and friends are the No. 1 source of distractions and drain on the finances.”
Mortensen also pointed out while he doesn’t agree with athletes having children out of wedlock like McFadden, he’s far from alone in that indiscretion.
“It’s an epidemic in our culture; it’s not exclusive to Darren McFadden,” Mortensen said. “Tom Brady had a child out of wedlock. Darren has taken responsibility for the paternity stuff. Isn’t that what we ask these young men to do?”
Everyone around McFadden agrees that he’s devoid of ego. Nutt called McFadden “a selfless guy, a great teammate.” Mortensen agreed, pointing out that the only reason that McFadden ran on Arkansas’ Pro Day before NFL scouts was to get his teammates exposure.
http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2008/apr/23/mcfadden-issues-hurting-draft-potential/
Originally published 01:45 p.m., April 23, 2008
Updated 01:45 p.m., April 23, 2008
Recent conversations between NFL teams and former Arkansas football coach Houston Nutt concerning former star RB Darren McFadden eventually all head in the same direction.
“When they start questioning Darren’s character, now that really bothers me,” said Nutt, now at Ole Miss. “This is a good kid who was the first at practice every day and the last to leave. A ’yes sir, no sir’ type kid.”
But as Saturday’s NFL draft approaches, it seems as if McFadden, Heisman Trophy runner-up the last two seasons when he also won the Doak Walker Award as college football’s top running back, is being portrayed as Public Enemy No. 1.
Two off-the-field problems in the last three years — both times defending one of his brothers at Little Rock bars — and McFadden’s being involved in two paternity suits, have some NFL teams wondering if he has a Pacman Jones gene. McFadden may have slipped all the way to Oakland with the fourth overall pick, though the New York Jets (with the No. 6 pick) might trade with the Raiders to grab McFadden.
“I think I’m the best player in the draft, but it gets nerve-wracking under that microscope,” McFadden said. “You’re critiqued for every footstep you take. I want people to know that I’ve learned a lot from what’s happened.”
McFadden’s latest problem came in January when he and his younger brother got involved in a late-night fight at the Ernie Biggs Piano Bar in Little Rock’s River Market. Although McFadden was not arrested, he was briefly handcuffed.
An Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article reported that Ernie Biggs owner Daniel Bryant showed McFadden’s attorney, Frank Shaw, videotape of the fight allegedly involving McFadden and then-bouncer Brant Hankins. The article said Bryant demanded $500,000, or he’d sell the tape.
After Shaw reviewed the tapes and determined McFadden “had no culpability involving the incident with Brant Hankins,” Shaw told the Democrat-Gazette, Bryant denied everything, and Hankins withdrew a claim against McFadden seeking half a million for the fight.
“Teams for the most part have not made Darren’s character an issue,” said Chris Mortensen, ESPN’s NFL draft analyst, whose son, Alex, has been one of McFadden’s Arkansas teammates. “It’s fair to call the incidents ’red flags.’ Atlanta probably would have taken him at No. 3 but got scared off (because of its problems with Michael Vick).
“Those off-the-field incidents have cost Darren probably three or four draft spots and $4 (million) to $5 million. He’s a good kid, and I’m sure he wishes he could take some incidents back.”
Meanwhile, McFadden’s character has been left twisting in the wind. He said that although he understands why teams have questions, they should also get to know him first.
“People want to question my character because I’ve put myself in a couple of bad situations,” McFadden said. “I’ve been open about it. When teams ask me about it, I’ve answered them and told them what happened. You can’t run from it. That’s not the way to deal with it.
“If teams talk to my teammates or my old coaches, they tell them I have great character. The people who know me know that I’m a great kid.”
There certainly are no issues with McFadden’s football skills. He’s the second-leading rusher in Southeastern Conference history, behind Georgia’s Herschel Walker, racking up 4,590 yards with 41 touchdowns and 22 100-yard rushing games in three seasons.
Former Dallas Cowboys player personnel director Larry Lacewell, now a consultant to Cowboys president and owner Jerry Jones, has seen McFadden play in person several times the last two years. And as much as Lacewell enjoyed McFadden in person, he liked him even more after studying him on tape this past weekend.
“McFadden may be the fastest running back (4.33 seconds in the 40) that I’ve ever graded on film,” Lacewell said. “He’s huge (6-1-1/4, 211 pounds) and has a tremendous burst. He’s not a big shake-and-bake guy. He’s not like a Reggie Bush or a see-the-hole guy like Emmitt Smith.
“But if there is a crack there, he hits it and hits it hard. And if the hole is closed, he has the speed to get to the boundary. He played against as many eight- and nine-man fronts as you can possibly play against. He still had some great games against some great defenses, like LSU (206 yards rushing, three TDs, one passing TD) and Alabama (195 yards, two TDs). It was God Almighty pitiful what he did to South Carolina (321 yards, one TD).”
Lacewell said McFadden’s only fault, if you can call it that, is his willingness to seek contact.
“If he doesn’t get himself killed in the league by being so tough, he’ll have a great career,” said Lacewell, who compares McFadden’s running style to that of former Oklahoma star Adrian Peterson, who just finished his first season with Minnesota as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. “I’d rather tell a guy not to be tough than to teach him to be tough. I think McFadden will learn to protect himself better.”
And that includes off the field.
Mortensen said that the biggest question teams have is whether McFadden, like a lot of youngsters who become instant millionaires, can handle the sudden riches.
“When you’re in college, you’ve never had this much money or this much time,” Mortensen said. “When Darren goes to the league’s rookie seminar in June, he’s going to be shown a lot of data that family and friends are the No. 1 source of distractions and drain on the finances.”
Mortensen also pointed out while he doesn’t agree with athletes having children out of wedlock like McFadden, he’s far from alone in that indiscretion.
“It’s an epidemic in our culture; it’s not exclusive to Darren McFadden,” Mortensen said. “Tom Brady had a child out of wedlock. Darren has taken responsibility for the paternity stuff. Isn’t that what we ask these young men to do?”
Everyone around McFadden agrees that he’s devoid of ego. Nutt called McFadden “a selfless guy, a great teammate.” Mortensen agreed, pointing out that the only reason that McFadden ran on Arkansas’ Pro Day before NFL scouts was to get his teammates exposure.
http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2008/apr/23/mcfadden-issues-hurting-draft-potential/
