Player X articles at ESPN Insider

[Defector]

Nothing that you wouldn't presume but decent reads nonetheless imo -

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ESPN has been printing a serious of articles written by Player X-----a current "NFL Star" as ESPN claims. Player X delves into the real world of NFL players-----hazing, pain, respect, groupies etc etc.

I would post a link to his articles but ESPN wont let you read them unless you are an insider. Heres an overview from USAToday: blogs.usatoday.com/gameon/2009/08/espn-the-magagazines-anonymous-player-x-dishes-on-groupies.html


the latest article he wrote was on pain, and respect.......if you can find it on the web, read it---its a worthwhile real life look into the NFL

anyway-----question is, who is this guy?? The first thought that popped into my head was that its definitely a defensive player---in his newest article he talks about how Hines Ward is gonna get injured and how dirty he is. I originally thought Ray Lewis----sounds like him, he would hate Hines Ward and seems like the type that would do this, but maybe thats too obvious. Maybe its Brian Dawkins---the writing style sounds alot like him.

What I got from the articles is that its definitely a defensive player, definitely a veteran of the sport and probably well over 30, a "star" as described by ESPN, and seems like he would be a vocal leader....................any thoughts?

here they are:

am Player X.

I'm a professional athlete, and I'm here to give the readers of The Magazine my perspective -- an NFL player's perspective -- as honestly as I can.

It's a little crazy of me, to be honest. No one knows I'm doing this -- not my teammates, coaches, family or representatives -- but I think it's important. Why? Because people talk about athletes all the time, but a lot of them don't know what they're talking about. I want to share what athletes think, straight from inside the locker room. I'm not here to snitch or call people out. I just want to show that the life of an athlete isn't always what it appears to be.

[+] EnlargeSteve McNair
Geoff Burke/US PresswireSteve McNair's untimely death shocked Player X. But it wasn't a complete surprise.

I'll start by telling you that a lot of the negative stories you hear about pro athletes are true. In some cases, it's even worse than you've heard. And yet the stereotypes -- that we're spoiled, we're reckless -- just don't apply to most of us. What gets lost on the fans, the media, even ourselves, is that pro athletes are human beings first. We weren't prepared to be famous at age 21, with millions in the bank, people telling us how great we are and women throwing themselves at us. And we have to navigate all that in the public eye.

It's part of being in the entertainment business. Think about what is acceptable behavior in Hollywood or the music industry. Think about the pressures and temptations that follow young, talented people with a lot of money. Look at the HBO series Entourage. Or the way athletes are depicted in the movies. It's no different for a lot of pros.

Women are part of that. And as you've seen this summer with guys like Steve McNair, Ben Roethlisberger and Rick Pitino, things can get out of hand off the field. I'm not passing judgment, because all the facts aren't in. But when it comes to temptation, I don't care how strong you are. There are only so many times you can say No until you give in and say, Well, I'll think about it. Then it's Maybe. Pretty soon you've done something you never would have done before. Do it often enough, and it seems normal. Sometimes I look back and wonder, What was I thinking?

I don't know if that's what happened with Steve, but his death shook a lot of players. It was a shock when it happened; he didn't seem like a guy who'd find trouble. And yet it wasn't a total surprise. I've had players tell me, "This girl tried to trap me and get herself pregnant." When you mess around, it causes problems.

Not that grown men should need it, but the NFL doesn't warn players enough about these dangers. There's no way to know who the girl is you're dealing with. Some of the young guys have taken to checking out groupies with older teammates who were with the same girls years ago. "Do you know this girl? What's she like?" they'll ask. But, really, there is no rule book on groupies, even though I've heard groupies have scouting reports on us. What clubs does he go to? What type of girl does he like? Does he like long hair, short hair? That's scary.

[+] EnlargeBen Roethlisberger
AP Photo/Gene J. PuskarAthletes like Roethlisberger can be easy targets.

If you pay close attention, they'll find most of the players messing around are younger guys. The majority of married players I know are very faithful. While a recent CNN report said 80-90 percent of pro athletes cheat on their wives, I'd say it's closer to 30 percent. The older, established players have too much to lose. That's why it's hard for me to imagine why Steve did what he did. He was one of those guys.

As much as people want to throw all athletes into the same pot, though, Steve's case is not typical. It's one story among thousands of pro athletes. Pitino is one coach out of how many in the NCAA?

That said, it can be easy to believe society's rules don't apply to you in this business. That you're invincible. That you can drive 95 mph instead of 65 or get a pass when you're pulled over for driving drunk. That's when a lot of guys get in trouble, because they forget that playing professionally takes an amazing amount of focus and discipline. Once you make it, your entire life is scrutinized. You have no off-season. You can't get caught drinking or cursing or having a blowup or refusing an autograph. There aren't many places where you can be yourself, where you can just let your guard down.

To handle that pressure, some guys just need a release. Problem is, many don't choose the right kind. The wonder is not that pro athletes make mistakes. It's that we don't make them more often.[/QUOTE[

insider.espn.go.com/insider/insider/news/story?id=4502895
Originally posted by Player X

Hey, rookie.

You've made it through training camp. You're on the roster. You're cashing a paycheck. Now listen up. Respect the veterans. Do what they tell you to do. And by all means, put up with the hazing. Because it's not going to stop until you've made it through a full season.

I know you've experienced some of it already. You've had to sing your school song at dinner or bring doughnuts to your position meeting. You might have even paid -- a lot -- for a night on the town, picking up the tab for bottles of Cristal or Jean-Marc XO. After all, you're the one with the big signing bonus -- and last year's first-rounder wants revenge for the $10,000 meal he bought in '08.

Blow off the doughnuts at your own risk. Forget your chores and somebody might "accidentally" pour a bottle of dye in your gloves after practice. You might even find the stuff in your shoes and helmet. I've seen guys get mummified with training tape and dropped in the cold tub. I know of rookies tied to a goalpost, with honey poured over them to attract bees.

IT'S HARD TO KNOW WHERE IT SHOULD STOP.

Sure, it can go too far, and it's hard to know where it should stop. Guys get in fights over lunch orders; property gets destroyed. I once saw a 13-year vet try to force a four-year guy off the training table. They started yelling at each other, and it nearly came to blows. I've even heard of a movie-theater popcorn machine being turned on inside a defiant rookie's ride. Do you know what hot buttered popcorn will do to a leather interior?

Believe it or not, though, there's a purpose to this idiotic stuff: It's an initiation into a culture of respect for the men who played before you. The only reason we have million-dollar contracts nowadays is that players before us fought for our rights. So you have to pay your dues, show respect to the veterans.

Pregame buffet? The older dudes can cut the line. Position meetings? Rookies sit in the front, vets in the back. No exceptions. If a veteran walks up while you're getting your ankle taped, the trainer will bump you off the table and take care of the vet first. Even charity events have a pecking order. In most organizations, the veterans, out of respect for management, will make time for team-sponsored events. But sometimes we need a rest or have other obligations. Rookies don't have a say-so. You're going.

You could say it's a little like a regular workplace, where the higher-ups get the bigger offices. But let's be honest: The NFL is more like high school, where the cool kids hang out on this side of the hallway and the nerds have to keep walking. And every team has its bullies, the guys who enjoy pushing people around just to see how far they can take it. When I was a rookie, I didn't resent it. I just treated it as part of the game.

Here's a little secret I learned: The more you tolerate, the less the veterans will ask of you. If they ask you to do something stupid and you do a bad job, try to back out of it or, worse, do it with no enthusiasm, they won't let that slide. They'll keep coming, and they will try to get you riled up, try to find your breaking point. The guy who does what they ask and gets the doughnuts, he's the guy they'll leave alone.

In truth, it's all a test. When you're new, one of the first things veterans want to see is you proving you're not a punk. They want to see how you handle uncomfortable situations. Are you standoffish? Do you have a bad attitude? It helps older guys get a read on how a rookie might react to things that go on in a game, or a season. We want to see how you respond when things get unpredictable, when the tension is high. Because that's life in the NFL.

If a rookie goes along with tradition, it makes it easier for me to help him. I need to know it's worth my time to show the new guy how to play. If he's willing to deal with our crap for a year, that tells me this job is important to him. It means he wants to be here and that he'll be a better teammate.

But if a guy wants to try to buck the system, or says "I ain't doing that"? You'll see pranks. Worse, you'll see older guys ignore him. (Buckle up, Mr. Crabtree.) Want to do things your way? Think you can make it on your own? Be our guest.

You'll find out soon enough. Nobody's bigger than the game.

insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/news/story?id=4551469
Originally posted by Player X

There are some things a fan just can't understand. Here's one: You have no idea how violent, how dangerous, how painful the NFL really is.

Carson Palmer said recently he thinks a player is going to die on the field. While I'm not saying it will happen, it's definitely possible. Every year guys get bigger, faster and stronger. Players weighing 300 pounds are running 4.6s, 4.7s. Collisions are more violent. Head injuries, paralysis, death -- we all know it could be around the corner.

Though fans rarely see it, the line of scrimmage is the most dangerous spot on the field. The average defensive lineman is about 290 pounds (350 pounds if you're Albert Haynesworth). The average ­O-­lineman is about 310. On plays where the offensive line double-teams a D-lineman, that's 620 pounds against 290. That's scary.

I've seen guys get twisted up taking on two blockers and separate their shoulders, tear their ACLs. Hell, I've heard it happen. I've seen linemen ruin their backs trying to stand up straight with their arms extended, holding off a bull-rushing defensive end. I've seen a guy's finger get caught between helmets and explode like a melon.

Fans don't understand the long-term effects of those collisions. I know guys who can't wear a wedding ring because the band won't fit over their busted-up finger. I've seen guys so arthritic they can barely move; linemen who can no longer pick up their kids; ex-running backs with lingering concussion headaches.

Someone is gonna knock Hines Ward out.

I've also seen guys become addicted to painkillers. While those meds are better controlled these days (you can get them only from a team doctor after surgery), anti-inflammatories are still common. We know the risks (damage to your kidneys), but everyone needs them at one time or another.

Right after a game I don't feel much because my adrenaline is still elevated. But I wake up every Monday feeling like crap. On Tuesday mornings, I still feel like I got run over by an 18-wheeler. You get used to it. For me it's a macho thing: I know I did my job if I wake up and it takes me 10 steps to straighten out my back.

It's enough to make a grown man cry, not that you'll ever see it in the locker room. At most, guys will groan a tiny bit.

What's up?

Hurtin'.

That's it. The isolated complaint is fine if you're Brett Favre, who's never missed a start, or Walter Jones, who can't take anti-inflammatories because of his kidneys. But pain tolerance is currency in the NFL. I've played games at 60% just to bank respect from teammates. The next time I ask them to follow me, they will.

On the flip side, one of the worst reps you can get in this game is "soft." Miss a few practices, take yourself out of a game, refuse to play with an injury that isn't vital to your position -- say, a cornerback with a bruised hand -- and guys start to talk. If you're on a losing team, and tension is high, you might get called out, get your manhood challenged. That's going to result in a fight. Every time.

You're better off being called "dirty" than soft. It's okay to bend rules, right up until you hurt somebody. We players have our own justice system. A guy hurts me playing dirty, and he'll get it from my teammates. With the stuff Hines Ward does -- cracking back, blindsiding players in the head -- someone's gonna knock him out.

Still, you don't think about the danger when you're playing. Maybe that's the way anybody in a dangerous job thinks, whether you're a fighter pilot or a policeman. And football has a funny way of protecting you if you're going full speed. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a guy get hurt because he pulled up and just got whacked.

To tell the truth, when you're injured the pain isn't the worst part. It's the loneliness. I've heard soldiers talk about getting hurt on the battlefield, and not being able to go out the next time with their group. They all say they'd put their life in danger to be out there with their guys. Football and war aren't the same, but I can relate to that. If your team loses, you get a sick sense you could've changed the outcome. There's something addictive about the adrenaline rush, the camaraderie, feeling a part of something bigger than yourself. You miss that.

Come to think of it, getting back out on the field is the best painkiller of all.

[Defector]

Originally posted by Player X

A lot of oxygen is wasted talking about team chemistry. How do you get it? Keep it? Lose it? How badly do you need it?

Hell if I know. Players don't really think about it. How much do you and your co-workers worry about office chemistry? What I can tell you is a football team has its issues, its cliques, its share of eye-rolling at the boss. And fistfights. It's a lot like your job, except for that last part.

Most of the time, an NFL team, while not exactly peaceful, is a live-and-let-live place. You have your position group, which you spend most of your time with -- on the field, in meetings, hanging out. We don't worry about other groups, because we have our own jobs to do. Until, of course, somebody screws up.

When one part of the team is not pulling its weight, we'll share our opinions. If the offense is scoring and the defense is getting gashed, the D's going to hear it: "We'd do a better job slowing them down than y'all." When the defense is getting three-and-outs and the offense turns the ball over, it's "Do you need us to score now, too?"

I know guys from a team years ago that had a succession of dog-ass quarterbacks and a pretty good defense. Those defensive guys, even the retired ones, still talk about how much they hate those quarterbacks. Sound familiar? Yes, we criticize just like fans do.

FIGHTS IN THE LOCKER ROOM? WHOOP-DE-DO.

The complaints turn from whispers to shouting matches when a team is losing. The tension between Carson Palmer and Ochocinco last season wasn't an act. The whole Dallas thing with TO was real. You can see why these things blow up. When you're not performing, you're messing with another guy's money. You're hurting his career, putting limits on his future.

The only time it gets into the media, though, is when it involves a high-profile player who doesn't fear repercussions. Most teams' dirty laundry stays in the locker room, because most guys don't have the balls to say anything. They want to keep things cool. That's why it's rare for coaches and players to argue openly. And even more rare that you hear about it. I know of one situation where a prominent playmaker and his coach were at each other's throats all the time but it stayed under the radar. The coach was all over the guy; it was obvious he couldn't stand the player. But it became legend around the league how it didn't bother the player. At all. He'd stand up to the coach, or just ignore him. His attitude was "As long as I'm ballin', I don't care if Coach likes me."

You can do that if you're good enough, because a coach wants to survive. Coaches want job security, which makes them think twice about benching someone who helps them win games. If you're good, it all works out.

Some coaches, though, think they can "push a player's buttons" like they're Bill Parcells. You know, single a guy out. That's when players start to talk, and talk back to the coach: "You can't treat me that way. I'm a grown man." Most players don't respond well to being treated like a child.

On the flip side, coaches play favorites, especially with high draft picks. Like clockwork, a first- or second-round pick gets all kinds of chances, even when it's clear a lower-profile guy is better. That low-profile guy doesn't mind, though, because talent always wins out; he'll eventually see the field. In a way, that's chemistry. You don't have to like who you work with or work for. You can hate your boss and still get the job done.

And there is some outright hate -- or violence -- in the locker room. That incident when Raiders head coach Tom Cable allegedly punched his assistant coach didn't surprise me. Fighting is part of the game. Why is everybody surprised? Everybody knows Buddy Ryan would go after players and other coaches. It wasn't news. I've seen plenty of fights in college and the pros, even had a few myself. They didn't make the papers. Whoop-de-do. You fought. Now shake hands and move on.

I do want to know why Cable might've punched that guy in the face, though. Maybe it was a good reason. Maybe that assistant needs to learn how to block a punch. Anyway, if my coach ever punches me, I won't call my lawyer. I'll settle it some other way, then make sure I get back on the field. As long as I'm ballin', I don't care if Coach likes me.

insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/news/story?id=4623498
Originally posted by Player X

In the real world, it's not polite to talk about how much money you make. But let's face it, the NFL isn't the real world. Where else does the average career last a little more than three years? For most of us, this is the only big payday we're going to see in life. We have to make the most of it. And talking to one another about it keeps us informed.

We know how lucky we are. We know how much time and money fans devote to us. You have every right to expect us to play our asses off. But we don't feel guilty about how much we're paid. When we play well, fans come away happy. Everybody wins.

Fact is, we enjoy our money. It allows us to buy nice things, travel to interesting places. It can help you do right by people -- buy your parents a house or write a check to cover a niece's college tuition. We can help charities treat disease or teach people to read.

But big paychecks can be deceiving. For one thing, we get paid only 17 weeks a year. So it's a feast, then 35 weeks of famine. Even in huge amounts, money disappears, often drip by drip. The four-year, eight-figure contracts you read and hear so much about? Most of the time, none of that money is guaranteed (unless you're Albert ­Haynesworth). The team is on the hook only for your signing bonus. Maybe that second year doesn't go so well, and instead of the 8 mil you thought you had coming in Years 3 and 4, management wants to renegotiate. Suddenly, you're sweating to make a team for the six-figure minimum. Just like that, half the value of your contract is gone.

Then there are the people taking money off the top. Uncle Sam takes as much as 47 percent of game checks in taxes. The agent who negotiated your big contract takes 3 percent. If he lands you an endorsement deal, he gets at least 15 percent of that, too. You need a lawyer to make sure the contracts hold up. He's paid by the hour, hundreds of dollars an hour. You also need disability insurance, a bill that just cost me $25,000. And did I mention all the people in your life who think you owe them a job? Back in 2000, The Magazine tallied that Ron Artest, an NBA rookie making less than $1 million, had 31 people on his payroll.

ARTEST HAD 31 PEOPLE ON HIS PAYROLL.

With all this money flying around, you need an honest financial adviser. (Gotta pay him, too.) There are only about 15 NFL agents I'd trust, and there are even fewer moneymen. Every player knows Simeon Rice's story. He lost millions to a shady adviser. After 12 seasons, he deserves to kick back. Instead, he's squeezing out a living in the UFL.

Truth is, you're lucky to bank $4 million of a $10 million contract these days. And it's tough to make that money last when there's pressure to live the pro lifestyle. What if you buy a house, then get traded and need to sell it? I know guys who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars -- and a few who lost a lot more -- when the real estate market collapsed last year.

A lot of us didn't grow up with much. So there's peer pressure to drive the right cars, wear the right clothes, show how far we've come. If you look cheap, you'll hear about it. You might get away with a low-end Chevy if it's brand new or an economy car if it's unique, like a Smart Car. But don't show up in a Camry. Just don't. While you're at it, upgrade that cheap, Morse code cell phone.

Now bring in your family. A lot of people sacrificed so you could make the NFL. But when the ink dries on that contract, how do you tell Mom you can't afford that much house? Which of your 15 "cousins" do you not help? Young players can't always make these hard calls. They can't say, "Not all this, not right now." And if apparently bankrupt former NBA star Antoine Walker is any indication, veterans have trouble saying no too.

Frankly, a lot of guys can't make the easy decisions, either. They spend six figures a year on jewelry or even more in strip clubs. Guys laughed when they heard Pacman Jones dropped 80 grand in one night at a strip joint in Vegas. But it was nervous laughter. A lot of guys go to those clubs on the regular. It's a subculture. Going through a thousand a week is not unusual! Why do players do it? I don't know. What I do know is that preaching won't do any good. Eventually, everybody learns the value of money, even if it doesn't sink in until they're retired and broke. I just know that after all I've put myself through to play this game, I don't want to look back and wonder where all my money went.

[Thor]

Corey Chavous? He's always doing draft commentary and is a real student of the game. Not sure if he qualifies as "star" but he does fit the profile you threw out.

[Defector]

A lot of people think Dawkins...

[TTAC]

After reading the latest one I kept thinking Jason Taylor.