Rolando McClain-When Talent Alone Isn't Enough

As Rolando McClain returns to University of Alabama after three lackluster years in the NFL the question of what does it take to succeed in the NFL has to be raised. Why do some players fail so miserably in making the transition from college player to professional athlete?

McClain was a very promising middle linebacker while playing for the Crimson Tide. He was an All-American who won both the Lambert and Butkus Awards in 2009 for being the top college linebacker and went on to help lead the Tide to the 2010 BCS National Championship. Entering into the 2010 draft, McClain was predicted to be a top 10 draft pick and was drafted eighth overall by the Oakland Raiders.

McClain would prove to be a major disappointment. In the locker room, he got into confrontations with teammates, was thrown out of practice and coaches complained of his poor decision making. Off the field, McClain was arrested three times from charges ranging from disorderly conduct to providing a false identity to discharging a firearm. The Raiders finally had enough of him this past off season and released him. He was signed by the Ravens but retired just two weeks later.

McClain is not the first player to show great promise in college only to become a disappointment in the NFL, but these aren't issues with ability. Some players just lack the skills to make it in the NFL. McClain doesn't lack the physical capability, he lacks the discipline. This isn't an issue of whether a player is capable to play at the professional level, but does he have the mentality to do so. His locker room and off field antics shows a player who lacks a certain level of maturity to be a complete player.

The NFL isn't just about the physical gifts, there are plenty of players who have the size, speed and capable hands to make it in the league, but they lack the mental and emotional stability to do it. Some players find it hard to leave behind the old friends and hangouts that were a part of their life before the league and unfortunately find themselves in precarious situations. Still others have personal problems that lead them to make poor decisions.

The days of a league that recruited, drafted, signed and played athletes with questionable moral backgrounds is gone. A players off field antics is just as vital as his on the field and locker room ones. There isn't leniency when a player shows an inability to curtail his behavior. Players now face fines and suspensions even when they don't face criminal charges. The league holds players up to a higher standard. The NFL is a privilege not a right. It is no longer just about your talent, but about your emotional and mental stability as well as your moral and ethical character. It may mean losing physically gifted but deeply troubled players but if it stops players from certain behavior than the sacrifice is worth the cost.