Smoked Gouda

July 17th, 2013 at 4:43 PM ^

Necessary considering the Bush signing, and health risks. 

It was fun watching him when he was on the field, however add him to the vast list of first round draft picks that never worked out for the Lions.

bsand2053

July 17th, 2013 at 5:06 PM ^

Too bad for him.  Can't imagine how frustrating that must be.He's probably worked his tail off to stay in shape and come back, and all for naught.  Hopefully he lands on his feet.

Don

July 17th, 2013 at 5:11 PM ^

he should retire permanently and move on to the next phase of his life. I hope he socked away a good portion of his contract.

LSAClassOf2000

July 17th, 2013 at 5:15 PM ^

The official statement from the team is right here, according to NBCSports (LINK).

Best's own words:

“I want to thank the Detroit Lions organization for drafting me and giving me an opportunity to fulfill my dream and play in the National Football League. My time as a member of the Lions was a very special time in my life. My teammates, the members of the organization, the Lions fans and the people of Detroit will hold a special place in my heart. I’ll always be a Lion.”

As a Lion, he managed 945 yards rushing in 255 attempts, good for 3.7 yards per carry and 6 TDs. He also had 775 receiving yards on 85 receptions, or 9.1 yards per reception and 3 TDs. It is a shame to see what looked to be a promising career cut short by injuries - I wish Jahvid Best well in whatever he chooses to do next, football or otherwise. 

DoubleLegTakedown

July 17th, 2013 at 5:33 PM ^

A friend of mine worked for a company who tracked down outstanding hospital bills. Long story short, he had access to confidential info. He told me Best was [redacted]. No shock to me that this was never a story, NFL covering its tracks with head injuries.

Mod edit: Posting medical information without permission of the person involved isn't something that should happen here, or anywhere for that matter. JGB.

stephenrjking

July 17th, 2013 at 5:48 PM ^

Also, [redacted] can mean a wide variety of things depending upon the type of problems involved, so it would be wise not to draw any conclusions from it.

Mod edit: Given your post above, I assume you're fine with getting rid of the references, stephenrjking, and these were the only two using the actual term. JGB.

Stike A Pose

July 17th, 2013 at 6:50 PM ^

Ugh.  I hated this pick.  Loved the player, but to pick him that high was ridiculous.  The concussion he had at Cal was brutal.  Of course it wouldn't scare off the Lions though.

Best of luck to him.  If he wasn't cleared by now, he needs to retire.  It's not worth it.

Tater

July 17th, 2013 at 9:08 PM ^

This was really a stupid pick.  Best had one severe concussion in college, and the research about concussions and CTE was already public knowledge, thanks to the internet.  This was a severe failure to do "due diligence."  

I just hope that Best saved some of his money, and that he has a decent life.  

Perkis-Size Me

July 17th, 2013 at 9:37 PM ^

Just another bullet point in a long list of blunders by the Lions. No disrespect to Best, but the guy should not have been drafted as high as he was after having the kind of injury that he did.



But of course, leave it to the Lions to blow yet another early round pick.

NoMoPincherBug

July 17th, 2013 at 10:31 PM ^

Another wasted high draft choice by Millen...er Millen's lackey who is there now.  Guy was concussion prone coming out of the draft.

What do the Lions expect to acheive by drafting injured players in the top 3 rounds every fucking year?

bronxblue

July 17th, 2013 at 11:26 PM ^

Wish him the best, but it looks like he'll be retiring. I know people kill that pick, but it was a gamble that didn't pay off. There are far worse blunders that taking Best in my opinion.

maize-blue

July 18th, 2013 at 8:37 AM ^

At one point it looked like the Lions were going to be awesome with Best and Leshore. But I don't think the two were healthy at the same time, could of been a very good duo.

Do the Lions still have Leshore?

dc22

July 18th, 2013 at 10:36 AM ^

Here's wishing him a healthy rest of his life. I hope he has options outside of football to fall back on and does not need to continue playing.