Encourage Athletes to Create an Identity Outside of Sports

We are all Johnny Football. I could hear your indignation as you read that, but let me explain. First, I am a former professional football coach who has seen the game at three levels - high school, college and the National Football League. And I currently teach a university class that includes most of the freshmen student-athletes. In that class, I preach the same thing that I once preached to players at the professional level: personal responsibility. Johnny Manziel was recently indicted on domestic violence charges, and let me be clear, if Manziel is found guilty of the misdemeanor assault charge that was just levied by a Dallas grand jury, then he deserves the full weight of the law. But this unfortunate saga is like a Greek tragedy that we have witnessed before.