bluecoconuts said:
10 drug tests.... Coaching failure or not that could be too much. There's only so many checkered pasts you want on a team. In a few years with Jenkins fully over his stupidness, sure. But I might be worried this year.
I didn't mean to sound like the failed drug tests are not TM's fault. My point is that LSU is making 10s of millions of dollars off of "amateur" football. Thus it is the institution's responsibility to make sure that any of its players get the help they need. That help could come in the form of anything from remedial tutoring to mental health counselling. (I saw first hand how easily collegiate level coaches give up on players that whom, I now know, could have been helped - although I'm sure that many of you on the boards could provide uplifting counter examples.)
If you've read anything about TM you know that he grew up in a less than ideal environment. His father went to jail. His college "friends" perpetuate the myth of the Honey Badger being larger than life for their own, personnel profit (i.e., nightclub promotion). He's only now, since his fall from grace, had a mentor work with him who did not have a vested financial interest in him. In other words; he has only recently been exposed to people who want him to succeed for his own sake, not theirs.
TM is not a bad person. His is not violent. He doesn't have any DUI's and isn't know for fighting.
So what is TM guilty of? Smoking weed. Why does he smoke weed? Assuming that we agree that he isn't a burned out loser incapable of contributing something positive to society, there must be a reason why a person smokes weed. I would venture to say that it's two fold in the case of TM; peer group and mental health. (I'm not saying that all people who smoke weed are burned out losers. I do have a theory that the prevalence of weed in our society is a response to mental health issues.)
Today he has left his peer group behind, is working with a mentor and has stopped smoking weed. We can only assume that he's also getting mental health counselling. And we can further assume that when he is drafted the team that drafts him will immediately assign a mental health councilor to him. Granted our society doesn't talk about such things, but they are happening. Point in case; look at Vernon Davis, TE SF Whiners. Ever since that "episode" he had with Singletary he's clearly been getting help. I'm referencing interviews he's given over the course of the years. It would be incredible to see them put together in a time series but that's for someone else to do.
So, what I'm getting at is; we (the public) either think that TM is an addict or not. If he is an addict, than I agree with all his negative pub and the view that he is a late draft pick (or should not be drafted at all). If he is not an addict, and assuming that he is working to overcome his starting point in life, he is serviceable and should be drafted based on his athletic ability and instinctual understanding of how to play the game - like Tavon Austin.