Completely and totally unfair.
I can understand comparing Harvin to Moss talent wise - but not character wise.
<<Moss had a scholarship to Notre Dame but was involved in a racially motivated fight in his senior year of high school and the Irish pulled the scholarship. Moss never attended Notre Dame. Bobby Bowden of Florida State then gave Moss a scholarship but he lost it in his freshman year there when he failed a drug test. >>
Yes - harvin had a bad past in high school - but I don't remember any problems in college.
At what point do you stop dredging old things up - and start looking at recent events. Kids do grow up.
On the other hand - questions about harvin's injuries - should be fair game.
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [gatornews]_[VikingUpdate.com]:__How_much_will_Harv
in’s_past_cost_him?__(John_Holler)
From: "Shane Ford" <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, April 08, 2009 8:19 am
To: [email protected] (GatorNEWS)
How much will Harvin’s past cost him?
By John Holler
VikingUpdate.com
Posted Apr 7, 2009
The Vikings could be in a familiar spot on April 25, sitting with a
draft selection in the low 20s and pondering the off-field issues of a
talented wide receiver. The last time that happened, they selected Randy
Moss.
At what point does talent outweigh an off-field litany of problems? In
1998, the Vikings had the 21st pick in the draft and Randy Moss was
scheduled to go somewhere in the top five or 10 picks. However, thanks
to a checkered past that included drugs and numerous off-the-field
incidents, Moss slipped past the top five. Then the top 10. Then the top 20.
Moss fell to the Vikings at No. 21 and then-head coach Dennis Green,
notorious for taking all the time off the 15 minute clock so the talking
heads at ESPN would spend that time giving national air time to the
Vikings, waited less than two minutes to pull the trigger. He wanted
Moss and didn’t want to listen to potential trade offers. The rest was
history.
The Vikings may face a similar situation this month at the annual draft
of college players. Percy Harvin, viewed by many as one of the biggest
potential game-changers in the draft, could very well be available when
the Vikings pick at No. 22. He has been called by Urban Meyer, his coach
at the University of Florida, as the most explosive player he has ever
seen in his years of coaching. His big-play ability is unquestioned, but
his off-the-field run-ins with authority are so numerous that many teams
may not even consider him in the first round. Considering the Vikings
“Culture of Accountability,” we may have to amend our Viking Update mock
draft to take Harvin out of the Vikings’ pick at No. 22.
The laundry list of reported offenses for Harvin dates back to high
school and have to be considered points of concern for any head coach or
general manager. Consider the following:
# In 2004, Harvin was suspended from school for an altercation with the
school’s wrestling coach. After horseplay in the cafeteria, Harvin and
the coach/teacher had an altercation that Harvin claims was blown out of
proportion, but still leads to a two-game suspension.
# In 2005, he was charged with misdemeanor assault for his role in a
street fight and was suspended for two games during the football season
of his senior year. Charges were eventually dropped.
# During the basketball season that same year, a verbal dust-up with an
opposing player turns into a fight that forced the referees to call an
end to the game with time still remaining on the clock. Harvin’s mother
pulls her son from the team, claiming she has concerns for his safety.
In a rare move, the Virginia State High School League bans Harvin from
further competition.
While Harvin didn’t have any significant incidents at Florida, his name
has been linked to testing positive for marijuana at the Combine.
Whether true or not, it is another instance of his name being dragged
through the mud for off-the-field incidents. The accumulation of those
have tarnished his name.
There is a good chance Harvin will still be on the board when the
Vikings pick. The last time they took a wide receiver in the first round
of the draft, the team felt the reward outweighed the risk of taking
Moss. Will the same be true with Harvin? Stay tuned.
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions
2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions
2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996),
Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
