Player X
Anonymous
What do pro athletes really think? Let me explain.
I am Player X.
I’m a professional athlete, and I’m here to give the readers of The Magazine my perspective – an NFL player’s perspective – as honestly as I can.
It’s a little crazy of me, to be honest. No one knows I’m doing this – not my teammates, coaches, family, or representatives – but I think it’s important. Why? Because people talk about athletes all the time, but a lot of them don’t know what they’re talking about. I want to share what athletes think, straight from inside the locker room. I’m not here to snitch or call people out. I just want to show that the life of an athlete isn’t always what it appears to be.
I’ll start by telling you that a lot of the negative stories you hear about pro athletes are true. In some cases, it’s even worse than what you’ve heard. And yet the stereotypes – that we’re spoiled, we’re reckless – just don’t apply to most of us. What gets lost on the fans, the media, and even ourselves, is that pro athletes are human beings first. We weren’t prepared to be famous at age 21, with millions in the bank, people telling us how great we are and women throwing themselves at us. And we have to navigate all that in the public eye.
It’s part of being in the entertainment business. Think about what is acceptable behavior in Hollywood or the music industry. Think about the pressure and temptations that follow young, talented people with a lot of money. Look at the HBO series Entourage. Or the way athletes are depicted in the movies. It’s no different for a lot of the pros.
Women are a part of that. As you’ve seen this summer with guys like Steve McNair, Ben Roethlisberger and Rick Pitino, things can get out of hand off the field. I’m not passing judgment, because all the facts aren’t in. But when it comes to temptation, I don’t care how strong you are. There are only so many times you can say No until you give in and say, Well, I’ll think about it. Then it’s Maybe. Pretty soon, you’ve done something you never would have done before. Do it often enough, and it becomes normal. Sometimes I look back and wonder, What was I thinking?
I don’t know if that’s what happened with Steve, but his death shook a lot of players. It was a shock when it happened; he didn’t seem like a guy who’d find trouble. And yet it wasn’t a total surprise. I’ve had players tell me, “This girl tried to trap me and get herself pregnant.” When you mess around, it causes problems.
Not that grown men should need it, but the NFL doesn’t warn players enough about these dangers. There’s no way to know who the girl is you’re dealing with. Some of the young guys have taken to checking out groupies with older teammates who were with the same girls years ago. “Do you know this girl? What’s she like?” they’ll ask. But, really, there is no rule book on groupies, even though I’ve heard groupies have scouting reports on us. What clubs does he go to? What type of girl does he like? Does he like long hair, short hair? That’s scary.
If you pay close attention, they’ll find most of the players messing around are younger guys. The majority of married players I know are very faithful. While a recent CNN poll said 80-90% of pro athletes cheat on their wives, I’d say it’s closer to 30%. The older, established players have too much to lose. That’s why it’s hard for me to imagine why Steve did what he did. He was one of those guys.
As much as people want to throw all athletes into the same pot, though, Steve’s case is not typical. It’s one story among thousands of pro athletes. Pitino is one coach out of how many in the NCAA?
That said, it can be easy to believe society’s rules don’t apply to you in this business. That you’re invincible. That you can drive in a 95 mph instead of 65 or get a pass when you’re pulled over for driving drunk. That’s when a lot of guys get in trouble, because they forget that playing professionally takes an amazing amount of focus and discipline. Once you make it, your entire life is scrutinized. You have no off-season. You can’t get caught drinking or cursing or having a blowup or refusing an autograph. There aren’t many places where you can be yourself, where you can just let your guard down.
To handle the pressure, some guys just need a release. Problem is, many don’t choose the right kind. The wonder is not that pro athletes make mistakes. It’s that we don’t make them more often.