One of the men for whom we have a much greater level of respect and admiration in the wake of the lockout is Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth. Destined to become the next president of the NFLPA, Foxworth devoted countless hours to the effort to negotiate a new labor deal.
Last year, he provided the most astute observation of the entire ordeal. “They can get more money and we can get less money,” Foxworth said. “Instead of bickering about how to split up the money, it’s more advantageous and galvanizing for them to say, ‘Let’s take it from somebody else.’ Instead of fighting with Daniel Snyder and Jerry Jones over revenue sharing, it’s, ‘Let’s take it from them.’”
Foxworth spent so much time working for the betterment of all players at a time when he was also working to restore his skills to 100 percent, after tearing an ACL last year in training camp. It would have been easy for him to take a back seat, given his personal situation. He didn’t, and every player owes him a basket of meats and cheeses for his effort.
To cap off the process, Foxworth delivered the funniest line of the three-year process, deadpanning at the press conference announcing the deal, “I think they just put me up here for eye candy.”
Now that the butt-kissing is finally out of the way, we can get to the news. And the news is that Foxworth said Tuesday that he has no plans to start training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list.
“I have no intention of being on the PUP list,” Foxworth said. “I have full intention of getting out there and contributing right away. I have no idea what [the Ravens’] plan is, but I’m going to give them the best that I can give them and hopefully that means that I’m starting on Week One.”
Foxworth also plans to take rookie first-round cornerback Jimmy Smith under his wing. “I expect that my contribution will also include helping Jimmy [Smith] mature as fast as possible, intellectually on the field and socially off the field,” Foxworth said. “I’ve talked to him a few times and I hear he’s a great young man and I’ve heard he’s a great talent.”
That’s good news for Ravens fans, given concerns regarding some youthful indiscretions in which Smith engaged at Colorado. And if any player can keep Smith on the right path, it’s the player who was as instrumental as anyone in keeping the game from imploding.