Trevor Lawrence possibly has a chip on the shoulder regarding his claim that he doesn’t have a chip on his shoulder.
Earlier this afternoon, the presumptive No. 1 pick in the draft and the man regarded as the best prospect since at least Andrew Luck addressed his comments to Sports Illustrated in which he explained that he’s driven by a desire to be great but not by anyone who would suggest that he isn’t great.
“It seems as if people are misreading my sentiment,” Lawrence said in a three-part tweet. “I am internally motivated -- I love football as much or more than anyone. It is a HUGE priority in my life, obviously. I am driven to be the best I can be, and to maximize my potential. And to WIN. I have a lot of confidence in my work ethic, I love to grind and to chase my goals. You can ask anyone who has been in my life. That being said, I am secure in who I am, and what I believe. I don’t need football to make me feel worthy as a person. I purely love the game and everything that comes with it. The work, the team, the ups and downs. I am a firm believer in the fact that there is a plan for my life and I’m called to be the best I can be at whatever I am doing.”
His explanation meshes, for the most part, with the comments made to Sports Illustrated. And as to the notion of assigning “anyone who has been in my life,” SI already did.
“He’s not award-driven. He’s not, ‘I want to win a Super Bowl at all costs,’” his father said.
“With who he is as a person, he could walk away from it tomorrow and be fine,” his high-school coach said.
So he’s extremely driven to be great in a healthy way. But his life doesn’t revolve around football. And he lacks the unhealthy obsession with proving people wrong or rectifying every slight that may come his way.
Maybe he’ll acquire it. The mere fact that reactions to his comments prompted him to explain them shows that he hears criticism, and that it bothers him. That’s the first step toward using that criticism as part of the reason to show up early, to stay late, and to bust his ass every second in between -- and then some.