Post by Purple Pain on Dec 1, 2019 2:36:36 GMT -6
The Rise of Dalvin Cook: What Happened When the Red Flags Stopped Waving
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Rest at the link:
www.si.com/nfl/2019/11/27/rise-of-dalvin-cook-after-history-of-off-field-problems
Dalvin Cook’s bun peeks out from behind the stainless steel refrigerator door. His dreadlocks are piled on top of his head, held in place with a brown rubber band. On this night, Cook is busy stacking boxes of prepared meals so they fit just so inside his fridge. The small TV mounted on the wall plays the Monday Night Football pregame show. The sun is setting a dramatic blue and orange, and three lit candles are placed throughout the small open kitchen and living room.
Cook is at ease here, barefoot in a white tank top and purple Vikings shorts. Aside from a Pop-a-Shot game against the wall in the living room, his one-bedroom apartment in suburban Minneapolis is sparsely decorated. The only sign of his status is a heavy gold chain around his neck with his jersey number, 33, encrusted in diamonds. Most of his neighbors know that the Vikings star lives in their building, but Cook uses his childhood nickname, “Magic,” as an alias on the call box in the front entry to deflect any attention. Now, he sprawls out on his small black leather couch in time for the Monday night kickoff. He likes to watch other offenses for plays the Vikings run, taking note of how they put their spin on it.
This is the man who once terrified general managers across the NFL. Despite his immense talent, twenty-seven teams passed on Cook in the first round of the 2017 draft, scared off by a list of legal run-ins during his teen years, red flags that obscured any clear view of him. Now, this is his life, a self-described homebody living some 2,000 miles from where he grew up. He is becoming everything the Vikings knew he could be on the field while so far being everything they hoped he would be off of it. As Cook has always insisted, throughout his 2 1/2-year NFL journey: This is who he is.
On the first night of the 2017 NFL draft, Cook and a group of 25 family and friends gathered in a conference room and attached guest room at a Courtyard Marriott on Miami’s north side to celebrate the start of his NFL career. He had surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in each of his three seasons at Florida State, scoring 20 touchdowns in each of the last two, and was one of a handful of expected first-round picks in a stacked running back class. Jacksonville selected Leonard Fournette with the fourth overall pick and Carolina picked Christian McCaffrey eighth. Cook sat on a bed, one eye on the telecast and the other on his phone, dining on chicken wings and rice as the picks ticked by.
Cook is an introvert, slow to trust people and cautious when asked to open up to strangers. The pre-draft process, a months-long slog of team personnel poking and prodding—physically and psychologically—was never going to sit well with him. Because of his past it was particularly grueling for Cook, requiring him to repeatedly recount the most regrettable moments of his life. When asked to reflect back on that time, he hesitantly launches into an answer before quickly trailing off, shaking his head and exhaling in frustration. “It’s like being a robot, going in there doing the same thing, saying the same answers,” Cook says. He tried to fight his impulse to put up a wall, but ultimately it was no use.
It was understandable that NFL teams wanted to know more about his history. He had six run-ins with law enforcement during his teenage years. He was arrested and charged with robbery in 2009, at age 14; charges were dropped. He was arrested and charged with firing and possessing a weapon on school property when he was 15; charges were dropped. During his freshman year at FSU, he was charged with criminal mischief after a June BB gun incident that resulted in broken car windows; he completed pretrial intervention. Also that summer, he was cited by Tallahassee Animal Services for keeping three puppies on a large metal chain leash. That July, according to an ESPN report, Cook was named as an “associate” in an assault case against two men Tallahassee police investigated for allegedly brandishing a firearm at a neighbor—that incident took place at Cook’s apartment (he was not considered a suspect). And the summer before his sophomore year, Cook was accused of punching a woman outside of a Tallahassee bar and was charged with misdemeanor battery; he was suspended from the team while he awaited trial. A jury found him not guilty after less than 25 minutes of deliberation. (Cook declined to address any of the specific allegations.)
He was ripe for draft-season rumor mill drama, and Cook’s camp couldn’t stem the tide of negative reports. At one point, a “runner” (an unaffiliated middleman and recruiter in the world of agents) began spreading rumors that Cook was arriving to predraft workouts late, often with alcohol on his breath. (Tony Villani, who runs XPE Sports in Boca Raton, Fla., where Cook worked out, told SI that spring the accusations were entirely unfounded.)
Eventually, Cook shut down. “I didn’t care what anyone said [about me], to be real,” he says now. “I always felt like I was a misunderstood person. Nobody got the chance to know me in the whole process.”
Cook is especially close to his paternal grandmother, with whom he lived during his middle school and high school years. Betty Cook says she spoke with several NFL teams during the pre-draft process. “At one point, I was tired of hearing it because I knew him as a person, I wasn’t guessing who he might be,” she says. “A kid may have made some bad choices, but they grow up. They were so busy worrying about his past they couldn’t see what was ahead.”
Surrounded by family and friends on draft night, Cook watched all 32 picks. His phone never rang.
Cook is at ease here, barefoot in a white tank top and purple Vikings shorts. Aside from a Pop-a-Shot game against the wall in the living room, his one-bedroom apartment in suburban Minneapolis is sparsely decorated. The only sign of his status is a heavy gold chain around his neck with his jersey number, 33, encrusted in diamonds. Most of his neighbors know that the Vikings star lives in their building, but Cook uses his childhood nickname, “Magic,” as an alias on the call box in the front entry to deflect any attention. Now, he sprawls out on his small black leather couch in time for the Monday night kickoff. He likes to watch other offenses for plays the Vikings run, taking note of how they put their spin on it.
This is the man who once terrified general managers across the NFL. Despite his immense talent, twenty-seven teams passed on Cook in the first round of the 2017 draft, scared off by a list of legal run-ins during his teen years, red flags that obscured any clear view of him. Now, this is his life, a self-described homebody living some 2,000 miles from where he grew up. He is becoming everything the Vikings knew he could be on the field while so far being everything they hoped he would be off of it. As Cook has always insisted, throughout his 2 1/2-year NFL journey: This is who he is.
On the first night of the 2017 NFL draft, Cook and a group of 25 family and friends gathered in a conference room and attached guest room at a Courtyard Marriott on Miami’s north side to celebrate the start of his NFL career. He had surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in each of his three seasons at Florida State, scoring 20 touchdowns in each of the last two, and was one of a handful of expected first-round picks in a stacked running back class. Jacksonville selected Leonard Fournette with the fourth overall pick and Carolina picked Christian McCaffrey eighth. Cook sat on a bed, one eye on the telecast and the other on his phone, dining on chicken wings and rice as the picks ticked by.
Cook is an introvert, slow to trust people and cautious when asked to open up to strangers. The pre-draft process, a months-long slog of team personnel poking and prodding—physically and psychologically—was never going to sit well with him. Because of his past it was particularly grueling for Cook, requiring him to repeatedly recount the most regrettable moments of his life. When asked to reflect back on that time, he hesitantly launches into an answer before quickly trailing off, shaking his head and exhaling in frustration. “It’s like being a robot, going in there doing the same thing, saying the same answers,” Cook says. He tried to fight his impulse to put up a wall, but ultimately it was no use.
It was understandable that NFL teams wanted to know more about his history. He had six run-ins with law enforcement during his teenage years. He was arrested and charged with robbery in 2009, at age 14; charges were dropped. He was arrested and charged with firing and possessing a weapon on school property when he was 15; charges were dropped. During his freshman year at FSU, he was charged with criminal mischief after a June BB gun incident that resulted in broken car windows; he completed pretrial intervention. Also that summer, he was cited by Tallahassee Animal Services for keeping three puppies on a large metal chain leash. That July, according to an ESPN report, Cook was named as an “associate” in an assault case against two men Tallahassee police investigated for allegedly brandishing a firearm at a neighbor—that incident took place at Cook’s apartment (he was not considered a suspect). And the summer before his sophomore year, Cook was accused of punching a woman outside of a Tallahassee bar and was charged with misdemeanor battery; he was suspended from the team while he awaited trial. A jury found him not guilty after less than 25 minutes of deliberation. (Cook declined to address any of the specific allegations.)
He was ripe for draft-season rumor mill drama, and Cook’s camp couldn’t stem the tide of negative reports. At one point, a “runner” (an unaffiliated middleman and recruiter in the world of agents) began spreading rumors that Cook was arriving to predraft workouts late, often with alcohol on his breath. (Tony Villani, who runs XPE Sports in Boca Raton, Fla., where Cook worked out, told SI that spring the accusations were entirely unfounded.)
Eventually, Cook shut down. “I didn’t care what anyone said [about me], to be real,” he says now. “I always felt like I was a misunderstood person. Nobody got the chance to know me in the whole process.”
Cook is especially close to his paternal grandmother, with whom he lived during his middle school and high school years. Betty Cook says she spoke with several NFL teams during the pre-draft process. “At one point, I was tired of hearing it because I knew him as a person, I wasn’t guessing who he might be,” she says. “A kid may have made some bad choices, but they grow up. They were so busy worrying about his past they couldn’t see what was ahead.”
Surrounded by family and friends on draft night, Cook watched all 32 picks. His phone never rang.
Still, Spielman felt the most important moment in their conversation came when he asked Cook, Who is coming with you?
“Just me,” Cook told him. “I’m coming to play football.”
Spielman made two more calls that morning, to players he was interested in but who also had potential character concerns. Neither player impressed him the way Cook did. “It was a night and day difference in talking to Dalvin,” Spielman says. “[My choice] was very clear. . . . This is my 29th year of doing this stuff. I’ve talked to a lot of players, and it’s not always going to be perfect, but you can, I think through experience, get a sense of reading a person’s character, even though it’s not 100 percent.”
Cook never told his family about the call. “I didn’t want to get anybody’s hopes up high,” he says. The Vikings traded up seven spots to draft Cook with the 41st overall pick.
“Just me,” Cook told him. “I’m coming to play football.”
Spielman made two more calls that morning, to players he was interested in but who also had potential character concerns. Neither player impressed him the way Cook did. “It was a night and day difference in talking to Dalvin,” Spielman says. “[My choice] was very clear. . . . This is my 29th year of doing this stuff. I’ve talked to a lot of players, and it’s not always going to be perfect, but you can, I think through experience, get a sense of reading a person’s character, even though it’s not 100 percent.”
Cook never told his family about the call. “I didn’t want to get anybody’s hopes up high,” he says. The Vikings traded up seven spots to draft Cook with the 41st overall pick.
One month ago, Teddy Bridgewater had just wrapped up his fifth straight victory filling in for an injured Drew Brees, this time leading the Saints to an upset of the Bears. He was still in his cleats and football pants in the Soldier Field concourse after a press conference and NFL Network interview when he was pulled aside for an off-topic conversation on a subject near to his heart. “If you know Dalvin personally, and you know everyone back home in Miami, this is what we expect,” he says with a wide grin. “This isn’t new to us—we’re just all so proud of him.”
Bridgewater was the Vikings’ starting quarterback when Cook was drafted, and he remembers that weekend well. He made his demand immediately after the draft: The rookie’s locker had to be right next to his own. The two have known each other since they were kids; Bridgewater grew up in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood, near Opa-Locka. He played peewee football with Cook’s older brother, and Cook’s mom was a parent volunteer for the cheerleaders.
“I had heard about all the red flags and things like that, so I just wanted to prepare him for what was in store,” Bridgewater says. “Having that home field, that guy next to you from the same neighborhood,—we continue to motivate each other. So I said, I need him right next to me.”
On the other side of Cook was then-39-year-old cornerback Terence Newman, who was surprised to learn of any controversy surrounding Cook (“I was impressed with his maturity from Day One, he was one of the model rookies”). The Vikings PR staff was prepared to undertake a reputation reclamation project, but soon found that Cook, introspective and serious, didn’t require any extra maintenance. He was called into radio shows and FaceTimed with network broadcasts on his own time, away from the team facility, something many veteran players can’t always be counted on to do. When the ESPN Monday Night Football crew requested Cook for the production meeting ahead of his NFL debut against the Saints, Cook won them over. “I have no concerns,” Jon Gruden said on the broadcast. “I think this man is in the right place, with the right leadership around him.”
Bridgewater was a big part of that leadership. “We come from the same upbringing, and when you think about all the things we had to escape to get to this point, it gets overshadowed and it gets overlooked,” he says. “He’s a guy who is passionate about this game because he knows it is an escape route for him.”
Head coach Mike Zimmer calls Cook a “model citizen.” Adds offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski: “I just can’t even fathom a time where there has been a question about this kid’s dedication to what we are trying to do. There’s been no prodding with Dalvin Cook.”
Bridgewater was the Vikings’ starting quarterback when Cook was drafted, and he remembers that weekend well. He made his demand immediately after the draft: The rookie’s locker had to be right next to his own. The two have known each other since they were kids; Bridgewater grew up in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood, near Opa-Locka. He played peewee football with Cook’s older brother, and Cook’s mom was a parent volunteer for the cheerleaders.
“I had heard about all the red flags and things like that, so I just wanted to prepare him for what was in store,” Bridgewater says. “Having that home field, that guy next to you from the same neighborhood,—we continue to motivate each other. So I said, I need him right next to me.”
On the other side of Cook was then-39-year-old cornerback Terence Newman, who was surprised to learn of any controversy surrounding Cook (“I was impressed with his maturity from Day One, he was one of the model rookies”). The Vikings PR staff was prepared to undertake a reputation reclamation project, but soon found that Cook, introspective and serious, didn’t require any extra maintenance. He was called into radio shows and FaceTimed with network broadcasts on his own time, away from the team facility, something many veteran players can’t always be counted on to do. When the ESPN Monday Night Football crew requested Cook for the production meeting ahead of his NFL debut against the Saints, Cook won them over. “I have no concerns,” Jon Gruden said on the broadcast. “I think this man is in the right place, with the right leadership around him.”
Bridgewater was a big part of that leadership. “We come from the same upbringing, and when you think about all the things we had to escape to get to this point, it gets overshadowed and it gets overlooked,” he says. “He’s a guy who is passionate about this game because he knows it is an escape route for him.”
Head coach Mike Zimmer calls Cook a “model citizen.” Adds offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski: “I just can’t even fathom a time where there has been a question about this kid’s dedication to what we are trying to do. There’s been no prodding with Dalvin Cook.”
Rest at the link:
www.si.com/nfl/2019/11/27/rise-of-dalvin-cook-after-history-of-off-field-problems
... and neither is this Chris guy.