By Troy Vincent
NFL Player Engagement
Without question, character counts for the student-athlete.
More than ever, player character, integrity, and good conduct factor significantly into determining the measure of success possible for both the student and the professional athlete.
As Mark Bruener, former NFL player and now Pittsburgh Steelers scout, stressed in our last issue, character counts greatly when a player is being considered for an NFL team.
All of us involved in the game of football – from student-athletes, NFL players, coaches, staff, cheerleaders, to anyone connected to our game – owe it to ourselves and to each other to teach the highest possible standards of personal conduct.
Today, student-athletes are subjected to the exact same public and media scrutiny that professional athletes face, and yet most don’t know it. Student-athletes mistakenly believe that their behavior or conduct goes unnoticed. What you do now will have either a positive or negative impact on your adult life.
With social media, Skype, YouTube, and cell phone cameras and recorders, the world now has access to your moments and movements. It’s wise and important to always be thoughtful about the decisions you make, the online posts you share and the company you keep.
Today’s student-athletes are held to a much higher standard than those of the past. One moment, one singular lapse in good judgment, has the potential to alter a young student’s athletic experience and subsequently change the course of his or her entire life forever.
Because this subject is so important to both me and others involved in preserving the game of football, I think this vital discussion regarding player conduct and character should always be an ongoing one.
I believe that it is absolutely impossible to separate or make a distinction between a player’s on and off-the-field conduct. They cannot be separated; perception is often times someone’s reality.
Work as hard on developing your character as you do on developing your game. Be the kind of on and off-the-field athlete that any college or NFL team would be proud to call one of their own.