DeDe Westbrook is in for a rude awakening.
The former Oklahoma receiver, with multiple behavior questions that surely caused him to drop, has landed in Jacksonville near the top of the fourth round of the draft. In Jacksonville, he’ll have both executive V.P. of football operations Tom Coughlin and coach Doug Marrone laying down the law.
Westbrook tried to distinguish himself from guys like Joe Mixon at the Scouting Combine.
“I got in some trouble and I did some things as well, but I was never convicted of anything,” Westbrook told reporters in Indianapolis. “Like, I’ve been to jail, but all the charges [were] dropped. I have no pending charges or anything. So I think I’m just like you.”
Sure, but for the “been to jail” part. And also for the “kicked out of a job interview part.” During ESPN’s coverage of the draft, Todd McShay said Westbrook was actually ejected from one of the 15-minute team interviews.
Westbrook was accused in 2012 of throwing the mother of his two children to the ground. He was accused in 2013 of biting her arm and punching her in the face. Last year, he was arrested for criminal trespass.
There will be no gray away in the land of two-toned football helmets. Westbrook will either comply fully and completely with the standards of behavior that Coughlin and Marrone demand, or he’ll be gone quickly -- possibly before they ever even sign him to a contract.