Austin Seferian-Jenkins knew the road Dylan Donahue was heading down.
Not the wrong lane of the Lincoln Tunnel specifically, but the greater issue he was dealing with.
The Jaguars tight end and former Jet has tried to help Donahue, after the Jets linebacker checked himself into rehab following a wrong-way crash into a bus.
Seferian-Jenkins also did a stint in rehab to work on his own alcohol issues, including his own DUI in 2016 which resulted in a two-game suspension last year. And when he heard about Donahue’s arrest from several people including Jets athletic trainer John Mellody, he offered to help.
“It was a natural thing,” Seferian-Jenkins told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “I think the world of Dylan and the way he plays the game and the type of character he has. People make mistakes. It happens as you grow up. You can’t cross them off because they made a couple mistakes. I’ve definitely had my fair share of incidents. Everyone has a different story, but we’re all searching for the same thing: Peace and clarity. I think that’s what he’s doing. He’s really attacked it hard.”
Their relationship began with text messages and turned to phone calls while Donahue was in a Florida facility, and Donahue said he appreciated the support from a player who had been through similar struggles.
“I’m really happy for him,” Seferian-Jenkins said. “I’m hoping he can turn the page, because life’s too short to dwell on things that you made mistakes on. There’s too many opportunities for a young man — not just as a football player, but as a person — to let that completely affect your life. I’m happy he took the initiative to front it head on. That’s extremely important. Take responsibility. And say, ‘I need to quit this. This is causing a problem not only for myself, but possibly other people.’ That’s a huge sign of his growth and maturity.”
“The most important thing I want to resonate with him is truly finding what’s the underlying issue. Because it’s not necessarily just alcohol. Can he find it? Can he tame it? Nobody’s perfect. It’s not an easy road by any means. But I wanted to make sure that he finds that happiness without a substance. I just really was worried about him. First of all, I just wanted to make sure that he was good as a person and can find himself. Because he’s a really cool dude. He’s a special guy.
Donahue actually had another drunk driving arrest before the tunnel incident, but the Jets stood by the 2017 fifth-rounder, who played in just four games last year before an elbow injury ended his season.
Seferian-Jenkins stood by him too, and that support may make a huge difference.