I didn’t get it then and my opinion hasn’t changed. When individuals associated with teams are suspended, they should, in most cases, be allowed at the team facility with access to the abundance of resources.
The message sinks in further following the news that Colts linebacker Robert Mathis suffered a torn Achilles while working out on his own last week in Atlanta.
Mathis’ season is over before it began.
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio broke the news Monday afternoon, and it was later confirmed by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
Mathis’ last day with the team was Aug. 30. He then had to serve a four-game suspension and thus was banned from the team’s facility after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, Clomid.
His mistake – and he owned it – is another story. All it takes is a text message to the trainer to see if the drug, which he admitted to taking to help his wife get pregnant, was on the NFL’s banned list.
It was, of course.
Nonetheless, he was unable to be at the team facility to work out, lift weights, receive treatment from trainers, etc. While I do believe he should not be able to practice with the team or sit in on meetings, kicking him to curb only makes matters worse.
More than anything, he should be able to get the help and education necessary to prevent future occurrences.
Players – and even owners, like Jim Irsay – need support during a time like this, not to be shown the door and not heard from in weeks. Suspending them from games, in addition to official team activities, tears at these guys plenty. Playing in games, with 65,000-plus screaming fans and millions watching around the world, is the fun part. The least the league and team could do is grant them support and appropriate supervision.
Perhaps Mathis’ injury, which will keep him out the entire season, would have happened anyway. We won’t ever know.
But the conditions at the Colts’ first-rate facility combined with a professional training and strength staff may have been able to prevent it. Keep in mind, so many professional athletes, especially at Mathis’ level, are taped and stretched before physical activity.
More to that: Since suffering this brutal injury, can he be evaluated and treated by the team’s medical staff?
Prior to leaving the facility to start his suspension, Mathis, who can re-join the team on Monday, Sept. 29, left this heartfelt message in his locker for teammates — and anyone else.
Colts players just have to look at @RobertMathis98‘s locker if they need a reminder of things pic.twitter.com/zs60elLxsz
— Mike Wells (@MikeWellsNFL) September 1, 2014
It reads as follows:
“Athletes: Don’t take the sport you play for granted. Every time you play, you better be damn thankful that you get to do something you love. Don’t show up to practice complaining about not wanting to be there; you’re there hopefully because you love it. Work hard every moment. If you’re not working hard, you don’t deserve to play. Play every practice or game like it’s your last because it very well could be. When you finally reach the day that you can’t play, and you can only watch, then you will know how much you love something that you once took for granted.”
Mathis appeared to walk fine at last Wednesday’s Indiana Fever playoff game. He dropped by the second row to visit with Pacers star Paul George, who’s sidelined by an injury. The injury likely occurred after Wednesday.
Mathis, 33, is under contract with the Colts through the end of the 2015 season.