How Not To Start A Football Career

Filed in archive NFL on May 6, 2008

© littlerottenrobin

Fred Davis has a lot going for him as a football player. He played ball collegiately at USC. He won the John Mackey Award given to the college game's best tight end last season. He was drafted in the second round by the Washington Redskins to play in new head coach Jim Zorn's West Coast offense, which should utilize the tight end quite a bit. So things were looking nice and rosy for Fred. Until he got to mini-camp. Or rather, didn't get there.

One thing they probably teach you at USC is not to show up late. Not that Davis got to the third day of the Redskins mini-camp late. He just didn't get there at all. Team security was told about Davis' absence, and he was subsequently found - turns out he simply overslept. So that's probably a bad start to things in his career. The washington post did an interview with Davis' brother, Kedran, who gave this glowing endorsement: "Knowing Frederick the way I do, he was probably just out late and he overslept, he probably just didn't hear the alarm."

That's great. First ever NFL mini-camp, and you oversleep because you were out too late. This is the guy's brother who said this, and someone should tell him he wasn't doing Fred any favors by saying it. Needless to say, Zorn was not pleased, and the Post reported he had a "lengthy discussion" with Davis later in the afternoon, presumably when he awoke.