Javon Down - What Next?

June 18, 2008 at 7:03 am | Article by Paul Hickey |

We’re taking a break from analyzing our 18-round expert draft in this space, to look at a situation that occurred just two short nights ago, when Oakland Raiders WR Javon Walker was apparently mugged and robbed in Las Vegas, just off of the strip. Walker was found unconscious, with a fractured orbital bone, prior to being taken to a local hospital and treated. He was in fair condition originally, and could be released from the hospital soon, but what happened, and what happens next remain strikingly unclear.

What we’ve heard is that Walker - who recently became one of the NFL’s three highest paid wide receivers this off-season after signing a lucrative deal with Oakland - was partying in Las Vegas, and had reportedly gone to two different nightclubs in consecutive nights and bought several bottles of champagne at each, spraying the crowd with them - according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Look, we’re not here to judge Walker on any count. We don’t know what happened, exactly. He has a right to go to clubs, as all professional athletes do. We’re also not saying by any means that Walker’s actions directly resulted in his attack, in which a large amount of money was reportedly taken from him. You can form your own opinions and draw your own conclusions based on all that is being reported. However, we are curious as to the bigger issue here. Pro athletes have for some time now, put bulls-eyes on their backs. Former Bears RB Cedric Benson was recently arrested twice in a 30 day period for drunken boating and drunken driving. Walker’s former teammate in Denver, Darrent Williams died in his arms on New Year’s Eve 2007 after being shot in a drive-by while sitting in a limo with Walker after leaving a party.

Curiously, reports from that night indicated that Broncos players - including current superstar Brandon Marshall - had sprayed the crowd with champagne that night as well. Beyond the fact that folks most likely don’t appreciate being sprayed with expensive champagne by pro athletes, what can we learn from this?

Well, it depends who you are.

Are you an NFL owner? If so, you can learn not to invest so much money in a player with a track record of being around when trouble ensues, or any major character flaws at all, for that matter.

Are you an NFL fan? If so, you can learn not to necessarily idolize professional athletes, but take them for who they really are - normal human beings who do make huge mistakes.

Are you an agent? If so, you can learn to stop babying your clients and help them become responsible adult men.

Are you the commissioner of the NFL? If so, you can definitely work to implement programs that help athletes make better choices off-the-field, even if it means zero-tolerance policies, suspensions and heavy fines.

Are you a fantasy football owner? If so, you can totally forget about Walker. Cross him off your list for 2008. Even though there’s a chance he could fight his way back and play, like Cowboys safety Ken Hamlin did after his incident while he was with the Seahawks, don’t even take the risk. Walker is done.

We wish Javon the best. He’s an incredibly talented player who has overcome odds before to become a solid NFL player. However, this time he has an even bigger roadblock, as he was already struggling with conditioning issues and knee problems prior to this incident.

The reality of the business is that there will always be someone ready to jump in and take your spot, and in this case, those folks are named Ronald Curry and Drew Carter.

On one last quick note, this sadly makes me think: who is next? As much as we all root for all of these guys, there’s no telling what happens when they get a paycheck in their hands.

Talk more about the Javon Walker situation on our forums.