By KEVIN SHERRINGTON
Five years ago, Jerry Jones traded up for an Oklahoma State wide receiver with more red flags than a Soviet parade. Dez Bryant had been suspended by the NCAA and plucked from the pages of a Southern Gothic novel. Among the questions he endured from a Dolphins official was whether his mother, who gave birth to him at 15, was a prostitute.
What I wrote then was that until we see Dez in action, we shouldn’t hold his family against him, the same courtesy we extended Michael Irvin.
Irvin was no Boy Scout, and neither is Dez, but it’s probably safe to say few Cowboys fans regret the drafting of either.
Which brings us to the latest in a long line of risks Jerry is always taking.
Randy Gregory fell from a possible top-10 pick all the way to the Cowboys at No. 60 because he tested positive for marijuana at the combine. That, on top of reports he came up positive a couple of times at Nebraska, raised legitimate concerns about a problem, particularly with his judgment.
And then comes this report: A source tells our Brandon George that Gregory suffers from bipolar disorder.
One NFL executive told Bob McGinn of jsonline.com, the website of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that weed is but the “tip of the iceberg” with Gregory. Kid has trouble dealing with stress, he said, adding he’s got “no chance” of making it.
No chance.
Without question, there’s enough in Gregory’s portfolio to suggest this isn’t going to be easy for the Cowboys. He’s conceded he needs a support system. But as troubling as that sounds, giving up on a bright, athletic kid who doesn’t have a rap sheet before he ever puts his hand in NFL dirt smacks a little of overkill.
Until Gregory is accused of choking a woman or running drugs or leaving 10 percent tips, let’s ease up on the “character” accusations, for starters, especially from certain members of the media.
For the record: Probably just my Baptist upbringing, but I’ve never so much as passed a joint, much less taken a hit from one. Never been drunk, for that matter. Still, I have a hard time distinguishing someone toking a little weed from a guy getting lit up in a bar. One is illegal, at least in Texas, and the other isn’t. In my house we preach that, until you’re 21 or the law changes, both will get you in serious trouble with local authorities.
No matter what your beliefs, it’s all self-medication at some level, so let’s not be too quick to pass judgment on the character issue. Especially when I couldn’t count the times I’ve seen a media member get up from a bar stool, fumble for keys and, in the words of the great Don Williams, “stagger a little as he went out the door.”
Bottom line: Gregory is going to be tested. A lot. He needs to cut out the weed. I’m guessing he gets it by now.
As for other concerns, let’s not lump Gregory in with the rest of Jerry’s dysfunctional cast.
Here’s what we know: Son of 1980s Northwestern football player Kenneth Gregory, Randy grew up in a good home. A case of “senioritis,” as he put it, kept him from qualifying for Purdue out of high school. Once claimed he could have played basketball at an unidentified MAC school if he’d wanted. At any rate, he played a season of juco ball at Arizona Western before breaking his ankle and sitting out the spring of his sophomore year at home to catch up on his grades. Another question mark. Smart kid, his coaches said. Easily bored.
Gregory’s first season at Nebraska, his head coach, Bo Pelini, said he could make an impact similar to Ndamukong Suh, only the greatest college defensive tackle I ever personally witnessed. Gregory didn’t come close. There was a knee injury last year, maybe a concussion and a curious case of detachment about his future.
When reporters asked him about the NFL, he’d tell them he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Finally he just about stopped doing interviews altogether.
He got along with his teammates and his coaches, and he showed remarkable skills. Great lateral movement and speed after a so-so first step.
But when the Huskers named co-defensive MVPs this season, Gregory wasn’t either of them.
Let’s give him a little time to improve on that standing and see if he can live up to the potential so many have seen in him. If he’s happy, he could be a great player. For his sake, anyway, let’s hope so.
Meanwhile, he doesn’t appear to be any danger to the locker room or community. As for the Cowboys’ risk, he’s a second-rounder. They’ve survived Gavin Escobar so far.
Five years ago, Jerry Jones traded up for an Oklahoma State wide receiver with more red flags than a Soviet parade. Dez Bryant had been suspended by the NCAA and plucked from the pages of a Southern Gothic novel. Among the questions he endured from a Dolphins official was whether his mother, who gave birth to him at 15, was a prostitute.
What I wrote then was that until we see Dez in action, we shouldn’t hold his family against him, the same courtesy we extended Michael Irvin.
Irvin was no Boy Scout, and neither is Dez, but it’s probably safe to say few Cowboys fans regret the drafting of either.
Which brings us to the latest in a long line of risks Jerry is always taking.
Randy Gregory fell from a possible top-10 pick all the way to the Cowboys at No. 60 because he tested positive for marijuana at the combine. That, on top of reports he came up positive a couple of times at Nebraska, raised legitimate concerns about a problem, particularly with his judgment.
And then comes this report: A source tells our Brandon George that Gregory suffers from bipolar disorder.
One NFL executive told Bob McGinn of jsonline.com, the website of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that weed is but the “tip of the iceberg” with Gregory. Kid has trouble dealing with stress, he said, adding he’s got “no chance” of making it.
No chance.
Without question, there’s enough in Gregory’s portfolio to suggest this isn’t going to be easy for the Cowboys. He’s conceded he needs a support system. But as troubling as that sounds, giving up on a bright, athletic kid who doesn’t have a rap sheet before he ever puts his hand in NFL dirt smacks a little of overkill.
Until Gregory is accused of choking a woman or running drugs or leaving 10 percent tips, let’s ease up on the “character” accusations, for starters, especially from certain members of the media.
For the record: Probably just my Baptist upbringing, but I’ve never so much as passed a joint, much less taken a hit from one. Never been drunk, for that matter. Still, I have a hard time distinguishing someone toking a little weed from a guy getting lit up in a bar. One is illegal, at least in Texas, and the other isn’t. In my house we preach that, until you’re 21 or the law changes, both will get you in serious trouble with local authorities.
No matter what your beliefs, it’s all self-medication at some level, so let’s not be too quick to pass judgment on the character issue. Especially when I couldn’t count the times I’ve seen a media member get up from a bar stool, fumble for keys and, in the words of the great Don Williams, “stagger a little as he went out the door.”
Bottom line: Gregory is going to be tested. A lot. He needs to cut out the weed. I’m guessing he gets it by now.
As for other concerns, let’s not lump Gregory in with the rest of Jerry’s dysfunctional cast.
Here’s what we know: Son of 1980s Northwestern football player Kenneth Gregory, Randy grew up in a good home. A case of “senioritis,” as he put it, kept him from qualifying for Purdue out of high school. Once claimed he could have played basketball at an unidentified MAC school if he’d wanted. At any rate, he played a season of juco ball at Arizona Western before breaking his ankle and sitting out the spring of his sophomore year at home to catch up on his grades. Another question mark. Smart kid, his coaches said. Easily bored.
Gregory’s first season at Nebraska, his head coach, Bo Pelini, said he could make an impact similar to Ndamukong Suh, only the greatest college defensive tackle I ever personally witnessed. Gregory didn’t come close. There was a knee injury last year, maybe a concussion and a curious case of detachment about his future.
When reporters asked him about the NFL, he’d tell them he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Finally he just about stopped doing interviews altogether.
He got along with his teammates and his coaches, and he showed remarkable skills. Great lateral movement and speed after a so-so first step.
But when the Huskers named co-defensive MVPs this season, Gregory wasn’t either of them.
Let’s give him a little time to improve on that standing and see if he can live up to the potential so many have seen in him. If he’s happy, he could be a great player. For his sake, anyway, let’s hope so.
Meanwhile, he doesn’t appear to be any danger to the locker room or community. As for the Cowboys’ risk, he’s a second-rounder. They’ve survived Gavin Escobar so far.