I'm watching the NFL Draft while waiting for the NBA Playoffs to draft. Chicago's on the clock and they select Cedric Benson out of Texas.
Scroll down to see the photo.
When they draft him, he's crying tears of joy. The announcers are talking about the passion they see in his eyes, the sign of a sure winner. Then they flash to a couple of Texas highlights.
Then I notice the second thing--he had dreads in undergrad, but doesn't have them now. Why?
They cut to an interview with Susan Kolber (used to be "Suzy" but she chopped that I guess, for good reason). I like Kolber, but I didn't expect anything more than a perfunctory interview. She asked him the standard question "How do you feel?" And he responds noting that it's been a long road for him, given the "Ricky" stuff.
Ricky Williams was also a star Texas running back, with dreads. Has had a history of problems--has had a hard time fitting into the NFL culture more than anything else. So Kolber pushes him on it, and asks him why he cut his dreads off. Benson noted that he wanted a "fresh start" with a nice "clean cut" that could look "businesslike." But even that didn't seem to be enough for the coaches. From jump, during workouts, during interviews with various squads, they treated him like he was a boy, then a piece of meat, then a shiftless bum. We all know where those discussions were coming from. I'm willing to bet that the #1 pick (quarterback out of Utah) didn't undergo similar treatment.
After the interview was over, the commentators swiftly moved on.