Bo Jackson to Russell Wilson: Stick to football

http://www.csnchicago.com/white-sox/bo-jackson-russell-wilson-stick-football

Setting aside the fact that Wilson isn't really that good a baseball player (he hit for very little power against mostly younger competition in his two minor-league summers), this is kind of surprising coming from Jackson. Those who are old enough to remember know that he took it REALLY personally anytime someone suggested he couldn't --- or shouldn't --- do something.

 

He's right, though.

He played at a time when NFL players weren't NFL players between January and July and MLB players weren't MLB players between October and January, except for weight-training programs that were absurdly rudimentary and non-specific by today's standards.

The Wilson storyline is a silly one because he has no chance. But as scientific and sport-specific as training programs have gotten -- and especially as baseball's talent base has expanded in Latin America and Asia -- it would be tons more difficult to get to the major league level in both sports.

 

Wilson wasn't going to spring training thinking about making the team, now or anytime in the future.

 

Yeah, I could see Jameis Winston making it in baseball because he can touch 95 with his fastball. You could teach him effective breaking pitches given enough time.

But Wilson couldn't hit, plain and simple.

 

Steak, no NFL team is going to allow its franchise quarterback to risk blowing out his arm in the off-season.

 

I'm curious, with the rookie contracts being set up the way they are, if NFL teams can't put the language into contracts that they can't play baseball or other sports during the off-season until the second contract.

 

I just meant Winston could have the ability to do both, not that anyone would let him.

Wilson is not good enough to play in the major leagues. His track record shows that.

 

Wilson is not good enough to play in the major leagues double-A. His track record shows that.

 

I think a lot of players are good enough on raw talent to do stuff like that -- especially when one sport is football or basketball, which is all based on athleticism. Carl Crawford had a football scholarship to Nebraska and a basketball scholarship to UCLA. You would think Jeff Samardzija would have been a decent draft pick and found a spot in the league.

But the amount of off-season work required these days, of anyone, precludes the possibility.

 

I am pretty sure the standard NFL player contract DOES contain a clause giving the NFL franchise veto power over pretty much any athletic endeavor a player enters into during the offseason.

The only reason the Seahawks aren't pulling Wilson's chain is they don't want to piss the franchise QB off.

 

I guess it's a matter of degree and stature, and I imagine it was like that even in the 80s and 90s, when you had the last two sport athletes, IIRC. Like if Russell Wilson's contract with the Seahawks expires and he's a free agent, he could probably say, "Hey, you have to agree to let me play baseball in the off-season, otherwise I'll sign with another team that will." If you're a talented enough player, it seems like something you could request, just like how Tom Brady can get more guaranteed money in a contract than Brandon Weeden. I imagine Bo Jackson and Sanders got to play two sports because they were incredible talents. (All that being said, yeah, from all accounts Wilson wasn't ever a major prospect.)

 

Bo knows.