Outside The Lines-Johnny Jolly

[MadtownPacker]

You mean the blame it on the circumstance or something else?

Because admitting to going back to the substance that got you suspended in the first place (directly or indirectly) does seem to indicate he never got off Square 1.

Blaming it on any fucking body or thing that isnt you and you alone means you are full of shit. Admitting it to themselves is Square 1.

[MadtownPacker]

The thing that should have been considered was that Johnny Jolly didn't seem to have the drug problem when he was with the team in Green Bay. It was when he was at home with plenty of idle time. So the NFL decided to separate him from the Packers. This was a case where the team should have had some leeway on how to handle the situation, rather than an edict being handed down by people who didn't know Jolly.

This is a good point. In many regular jobs employees can rehab while still working. Unlike Plaxico popping off the pistol Jolly was mostly just hurting himself. NFL was too heavy handed on this one.

[Upnorth]

"Me losing football is like me losing a loved one, or a bunch of loved ones, at one time.”

I would like to be Jolly's publicist and help him make the loss clearer:

"Me losing football is like me losing a well-loved hooker, or a bunch of hookers who liked to take turns on me and talk dirty with me while performing lewd acts on one another."

I never realized you were a romantic until right now.

[Smidgeon]

Players are always an instant away from having football taken away from them, be it by suspension or by injury. I feel nearly as bad about his dependence on football as I do about his dependence on the substance.

+1

[JohnMexico]

Arguing with others about addiction, especially on the internet, is futile. I can't really subscribe to ever being physically dependent on a drug. Usage yes, but not all of us get suckered in.

Rather than call him weak, I'd call him a victim of circumstance. That being said, he wasn't forced into his circumstance. He needed to get out of Houston. Smells trigger things; all that UGK being blasted out of cars' speakers trigger memories. He's on the same blocks he was on ten years ago, and the influence of his environment never really leaves. Even the most reformed of fiends don't resort to calling themselves Superman. Instead, they get the fuck out of places like this. They eject negative influences from their lives, so that they'll never put themselves into positions to relapse.

Johnny just seemed to be lonely. I don't know if there was much awareness of his issue at home. I don't know if much attention was paid to his addiction until his arrests and his life had already spiraled out of control. It makes me wondered how far he pushed himself away from his loved ones, whether it was out of shame or out of other familial issues. Apparently Green Bay and its programs/support system was his only true friend.

What's tragic is that wasn't the only one available for him, so the lockout isn't the true problem here. Denial is a bitch and I just hope that it isn't too late to turn his shit around.

[mission]

Blaming it on any fucking body or thing that isnt you and you alone means you are full of shit. Admitting it to themselves is Square 1.

100% true, but it IS a lot harder to do drugs at work!

They're bad. Bad, bad, bad... always wonder how people let it go so far that they completely fuck up everything in their life though. At a certain point -- and I've had to do this -- you need to be able to recognize that you're on a very destructive path and you need to dramatically alter your course.

I missed the segment about Jolly but you'd like to see him bounce back a bit. Maybe get a used car salesman gig or something.

[Smidgeon]

Arguing with others about addiction, especially on the internet, is futile. I can't really subscribe to ever being physically dependent on a drug. Usage yes, but not all of us get suckered in.

Rather than call him weak, I'd call him a victim of circumstance. That being said, he wasn't forced into his circumstance. He needed to get out of Houston. Smells trigger things; all that UGK being blasted out of cars' speakers trigger memories. He's on the same blocks he was on ten years ago, and the influence of his environment never really leaves. Even the most reformed of fiends don't resort to calling themselves Superman. Instead, they get the fuck out of places like this. They eject negative influences from their lives, so that they'll never put themselves into positions to relapse.

Johnny just seemed to be lonely. I don't know if there was much awareness of his issue at home. I don't know if much attention was paid to his addiction until his arrests and his life had already spiraled out of control. It makes me wondered how far he pushed himself away from his loved ones, whether it was out of shame or out of other familial issues. Apparently Green Bay and its programs/support system was his only true friend.

What's tragic is that wasn't the only one available for him, so the lockout isn't the true problem here. Denial is a bitch and I just hope that it isn't too late to turn his shit around.

Very eloquently stated. I think I'll enjoy reading your posts.

[red]

and now he's going to prison for 6 years. he'll be up for parole in 2013

career, meet toilet

[yooperfan]

career, meet toilet

Life , meet toilet. I doubt in prison he will get the help he could use.

[MadScientist]

Life , meet toilet. I doubt in prison he will get the help he could use.

Maybe he will learn to deal with his situation without drinking codeine.

[Old School]

There are points to be made about having Jolly around the team as support for him. What about the great pains the Packers take to have a clean locker room? Do you want younger players around a guy, say in the weight room, who is one brain fart away from hitting the steet to score drugs because his day isn't going quite right?

I feel bad for him, but remember he got busted 4 times. There are plenty of places he could have gone and sought help. I'm sure his agent or even the NFL would have pointed him in the right direction if he were open to it, but he chose to back to Huston.

[Smidgeon]

Life , meet toilet. I doubt in prison he will get the help he could use.

But perhaps in prison he'll be forced to get the help he needs. Maybe.

[Guiness]

and now he's going to prison for 6 years. he'll be up for parole in 2013

career, meet toilet

Six years? Did I miss something? (no, I didn't read TFA)

[red]

Six years? Did I miss something? (no, I didn't read TFA)

here's the story from pft

Johnny Jolly gets six years in prison

Posted by Michael David Smith on November 17, 2011, 2:54 PM EST

Suspended Packers defensive lineman Johnny Jolly, who has been arrested four times on drug charges, has been sentenced to six years in prison.
The Associated Press reports that Jolly tearfully asked Judge Denise Bradley for another chance, but Bradley decided he’s had enough chances.
This sentence is the result of a probation violation for getting arrested with codeine and tampering with evidence in October. His probation stemmed from a plea deal he got in April over a previous arrest for codeine possession.
According to a Houston TV report, Jolly could be eligible for parole in January of 2013.
Jolly started all 16 games for the Packers in both 2008 and 2009 and was looking like one of the most promising young defensive tackles in football, but his addiction to codeine has torn his career — and his life — apart. And this sentence could mean he’s done playing football for good

[hoosier]

Damn, six years for codeine. I am sure there is a perspective out there from which that seems justifiable and the right thing. But from where I am sitting right now and comparing that to the kind of punishments meted out to repeat offending drunk drivers and spouse abusers, that just seems excessive and counterproductive.