Was Silas Redd’s decision to jump ship on Penn State a warning about substance abuse?
Stay with me on this.
Hog Heaven never met Silas Redd, who is was third on the Redskins depth chart at running back. So we don’t know what to make of the news of his indefinite suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. We don’t even know what substance he abused. But we wondered about Redd when the Redskins signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2014.
Redd was the only Nittany Lions starter (as we recall) that jumped ship at the height of the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State.
Society marveled that most of the players remained loyal to Penn State and to new coach Bill O’Brien when the NCAA allowed pain-free transfers to other programs. Redd spent the prior season as the Big Ten’s third-leading rusher (1,241 yards, 7 TDs). His future seemed bright, even with his transfer to the USC Trojans.
In the most team-oriented of team sports, Penn State’s players taught us something about cohesion to overcome adversity. Teamwork is all about finding your glory through the glory of something greater than yourself.
The Lions finished 8-4 in the year Redd abandoned them. O’Brien would parlay his time in Happy Valley into an NFL head coach position with the Houston Texans.
NFL teams drafted Penn State players Allen Robinson (WR), DaQuan Jones (DT) and John Urschel (C) in 2014. Robinson and Jones combined for 41 starts through 2015.
Redd delivered declining performances with the Trojans in the two years following his Penn State departure. That’s why he was not drafted in 2014.
With the weight Redskins GM Scot McCloughan places on character, what would he have made of a player that deserted his team when every other starter toughed it out under trying circumstances?
Would McCloughan have selected Redd in 2014 if the choice were his knowing only about Redd’s Penn State decision?
It’s a speculative question. We are in deep weeds at this point, so lets stop here.
There is one certainty, however.
With Alfred Morris gone and the Redskins unlikely to use a first or second-day Draft pick on a running back, Redd had a golden chance to make noise for this team.
Gone in a puff.
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