Late last month, Tennessee receiver Kenny Britt, one of the NFL's more promising young pass catchers, surrendered himself to Nashville police. Britt had been accused of providing false information for a driver's license, which resulted in warrants for his arrest. It was one of many legal problems that has sent Britt down a Pacman Jones-like rabbit hole of alleged criminal wrongdoing.
Around the same time, a confident woman stared at her son with the radioactive gleam of a proud mom. Ann Austin watched Miles, the Pro Bowl receiver with the Dallas Cowboys, speak with the media at his inaugural charity event to help disadvantaged youths at the North Jersey Country Club in June.
Miles Austin put on the First Annual Austin Family Foundation Golf Outing last month at North Jersey Country Club. (Getty Images) "I look at him and as a mom can't help but be so proud," she said. "He came from nowhere and now plays for the Dallas Cowboys. His life could have gone in so many other directions but he stayed focused and worked hard."
Britt and Austin, once you look deeper, are actually very comparable. Britt was born in Bayonne, N.J., played his football at Rutgers, and most NFL scouts consider him one of the more physically gifted receivers in football. Austin was born in Summit, also played his college football in New Jersey, at Monmouth, and possesses equally devastating tools. Miles is the better player, but Britt might actually have more potential.
They are comparable except in one sense: During the lockout, their careers have taken drastically different paths.
Austin used the lockout to improve his game and life. He did what you'd want a player to do. He is in supreme shape, having worked out almost daily since the lockout began. Austin and his family also put together the charity golf event.
Britt has made different choices. Instead of using the lockout to improve his skills or be productive off the field, he has made headlines with arrests, not charity. In June, he was arrested for resisting arrest (a charge that was later reduced). It was one of several problems Britt has faced during the lockout in what overall has been a troubled career.
Two young receivers, the lockout pushing their careers in alternate directions, making different choices.
The lockout will make or break some careers. Britt is expected to face discipline from both the Titans and the NFL (though the legality of punishing a player after a lockout will surely be addressed by the NFLPA). His actions during the 100-plus-day standoff cast doubt on his ability to be a professional. All Austin has done is better himself.
Austin answered perfectly when asked what he thought was the biggest thing players have to do during the lockout?
"Police yourself," he said. "Stay busy by keeping yourself in shape. Work out, don't get lazy.
"What can happen is that lockout can make players complacent. You have to fight that and act like the lockout can end any minute. When it does end, you'll see right away who was working out, who kept sharp, and who didn't. It'll be immediately noticeable."
The lockout is almost over (we hope) and Austin's theory could be put to the test. Will we see a legion of players who kept focused the way Austin did? My guess is yes. Unfortunately, a few of the Britt-type players will slip through the cracks as well.
Britt hasn't been charged with a crime in days now. That's the good news. The bad news for him is that the lockout isn't over yet.
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