Breaking: Mallett Rumored to Have Problems With Drugs, Leadership

Submitted by Geaux_Blue on

And boom goes the dynamite

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/

Murmurs have been going on and enough had been passed around before he even transferred that he had issues. None of it was citeable and the only things that could be pointed to were his blowups with players, etc. His recreation could be attributed to being young and a college kid, etc. It has been alluded to that teams had cooled significantly on Mallett in the past 6-8 months as stories from campus began leaking through whispers. Now a major news source is running with it.

On Sunday, Rob Rang of CBSSports.com reported that Mallett will be asked at the Scouting Combine about “so-called lack of leadership and reports of illegal drug use.”

Now, former Rams and Panthers exec Tony Softli, who now works for 101espn.com in St. Louis, has echoed Rang’s report.

“Heavy rumors of drug use and possible addiction kept [Mallett] from coming out for the 2010 draft,” Softli writes.

Again, no one is saying that Mallett has used drugs.  But it’s safe to say that he’ll be grilled about it at the Scouting Combine, and that teams will try hard in their allotted 15 minutes to get past the scripted and rehearsed responses he’ll be ready to recite with name, rank, and serial number consistency.

That he was being compared to Ryan Leaf means he could receive a Draft kiss of death and fall to 3rd or 4th round if enough people are gun shy. Hell, this makes all of the questionable things tied to Newton look like childsplay as a) eligibility isn't an issue in the NFL and b) he showed leadership and maturity in overcoming the media storm during a championship run.

mGrowOld

February 22nd, 2011 at 3:00 PM ^

Dear Ryan:

Don't let the haters get you down.  Just cause they print stuff about you doesnt make it true.  I mean what are the odds of somebody with everything going for them like you getting mixed up with stuff like that.

Your pal,

Todd Marinovich

dinni

September 28th, 2011 at 7:40 PM ^

Yeah, that's true, I think we all know that by now. What we don't know is that drug recovery is possible. Despite this fact very few drug addicts all willing go this way. I check in a methadone treatment center to recover from hard addictions, we shouldn't make a big deal out of it. The sports world is well affected by illegal drugs, the best we can do is identify sportsmen who have problems and replace them.

justingoblue

February 22nd, 2011 at 3:01 PM ^

So sad if true. You hate to see someone with that talent throw it away. If the drug stuff is true, I'm sure he'll be regretting it greatly at some point down the road.

thisisme08

February 22nd, 2011 at 3:02 PM ^

...Well...I do believe these are all accusations (which they are @ this point) that we have all seen/heard during his time here @ Michigan as well as the continued rumblings after he transferred but some team will still be enamored with his size/arm and in this weak QB draft he shouldnt last past the 3rd round. 

pdgoblue25

February 22nd, 2011 at 3:21 PM ^

Tons of baggage including actually quitting the damn team and he still went in the 4th round and produced.  Of course Gerg was his head coach for 2 years, so I guess no one can blame him for going insane.

Not to mention Mallet can be secure in knowing that the Bengals will take him in the 1st or 2nd round.

michgoblue

February 22nd, 2011 at 3:07 PM ^

"this makes all of the questionable things tied to Newton look like childsplay"

I can't agree witht his statement.  Newton has been accused of being involved in a "pay to play" scheme.  This speaks to the kid's character.  He has had issues with the law, and is generally viewed as a "me" player. 

Mallett's issues aren't worse or better - they are just different issues and both would raise red flags if I were an NFL coach.  Perhaps Cam's would raise less NFL-related flags (and that may be your point), but in terms of character, both raise red flags.

Michigan4Life

February 22nd, 2011 at 3:12 PM ^

that he has a laundry list of off-field problems for both Newton and Mallett which is why he didn't grade him at 1st or 2nd round.  He prefers that other teams take a chance on Newton in the 1st round so they can deal with the off-field problems by themselves and let the better prospects fall to them.  As for Mallett, he thinks that he'll be a classic case for player falling in the draft like a rock despite the talent that he possess.  He thinks that he's an another JaMarcus Russell.

Mallett's drug problems and lack of leadership problems are just a tip of the iceberg according to him.

Zone Left

February 22nd, 2011 at 3:19 PM ^

A lot of athletes get money/cars/tattoos from boosters. Don't be naive and assume only a few bad apples get benefits. Besides, how exactly would that detract from Newton's ability to play in the NFL? They're planning on paying him a lot of money to play. Maybe he'd be a holdout risk?

Drug addiction, on the other hand, is something NFL teams don't want anything to do with. They know that players are going to get lots of addictive narcotic painkillers as part of treatment for injuries, so intentionally picking a player with a history of addiction seems like a recipe for disaster.

Zone Left

February 22nd, 2011 at 7:04 PM ^

Very true, that stuff slipped my mind. Character definitely matters, it's just hard for me to lump violating NCAA bylaws (pay for play) in with actual crimes like stealing. The NCAA and its member schools don't have any right to play the virtuous organization and uphold amateurism as a standard when they make enormous amounts of revenue from TV and selling #16 jerseys once Denard Robinson comes along.

03 Blue 07

February 23rd, 2011 at 12:38 AM ^

You're definitely technically correct; cocaine is not physically addictive in the strict sense of the word. However, pyschosomatic things can happen during withdrawal, including but not limited to anxiety attacks, sweating profusely, the shakes, schizophrenic symptoms, irritable bowel syndrome/incontinence, and other stuff. However, unlike, say, alcohol or hard barbituates, the withdrawal won't kill you. I use alcohol as an example only because a lot of people are surprised to learn- I was- that if someone is a chronic alcoholic for a period of years, and quits cold turkey, they are at a pretty significant risk of really serious, life-threatening shit happening to them like stroke or heart attack. And obviously, if you've seen "Trainspotting," which is apparently relatively true-to-life re: heroin withdrawal, that's a good example of something that's physically addictive. And also will make you want to never touch heroin ever. . . As will the scene at near the end in the finale of "The Wire" where the character Dukie Weems is seen for the last time (if you were a fan of that show).

/stay in school, kids.

Blue in Yarmouth

February 23rd, 2011 at 8:20 AM ^

who has consulted on many cases involing drug addicts of every kind I can tell you that it doesn't mean a damn thing that one is physically addictive and one is psychologically addictive. Being addicted to something is being addicted, you can play with words all you like but to the addict, it doesn't matter. Only when that addict attempts to quit whatever it is they abuse does this make any difference whatsoever.

I guess I am just wondering what the heck your point is regarding keeping in mind that one is a physical addiction and one is psychological? Are you insinuating that one is easier to kick or one doesn't impact lives like the other? If that is the case I can say with absolute certainty that you are misinformed.

lilpenny1316

February 22nd, 2011 at 3:27 PM ^

It affects your performance, behavior in the locker room and can really turn your personal life into a disaster.  Right now, he's only making an SEC salary.  Think about what he can be exposed to when he's making millions.

 

lilpenny1316

February 22nd, 2011 at 8:16 PM ^

C'mon, Leon Lett had to be on something when he goofed on Turkey Day against the Dolphins and in the Super Bowl.  My only thing I could say about the Cowboys is that Aikman wasn't chillin' at the White House so that helped keep their offense going strong. 

I think drug use is a big deal, but when you're talking about potentially investing 40mil into a single person, you want their nose as clean as possible.

03 Blue 07

February 23rd, 2011 at 12:52 AM ^

Another thing, too, is although the Cowboys of the early 90's got plenty of media coverage for their misdeeds, I think the media climate has changed significantly since then-- not just the msm. ANY off-field athlete misbehavior is now "news," and gets blasted everywhere. See: Deadspin, Barstoolsports, twitter, facebook, the NFL network, twitter, facebook, the internet (generally), etc.

Geaux_Blue

February 22nd, 2011 at 3:31 PM ^

considering people talked about Reggie Bush's returned Heisman for a whole 2 months and there's absolutely zero ramifications in his impending free agency, nor within his team, i'd disagree with you completely. leadership problems with rumors of a "serious" drug problem, especially with "addicted" being thrown around, are 10x more serious than taking money to play ball would be to a team that pays its players to play ball.

Tater

February 22nd, 2011 at 6:56 PM ^

I agree, GB, and I'll go you one further.  Almost everyone in the NFL is "all about the money" anyway, and it could be said that Newton already has pro experience, thus giving Newton a "head start" over other potential draftees.

Desmonlon Edwoodson

February 22nd, 2011 at 3:32 PM ^

Mallett is not a bad guy...like Vick or Roethlesburger.

He is also not a good guy like Denard or Darius.

He is just a guy.  And in the grand scheme of things, who gives a rat's hindparts if some guy uses illegal drugs?  Not me.