Joey Harrington, who the Lions chose with the No. 3 pick in the 2002 NFL draft, has had to bear the “bust” label pretty much since early in his career.
But Harrington is more than just a name on the many lists of all-time draft busts that surface at this time of year, and he has a lot to say about the draft process and life in the NFL.
In an interview published by Uproxx, Harrington said “the NFL is a multi-billionaire industry that whole-heartedly does not care about you. As a person.”
Steve Bramucci, Harrington’s roommate during his rookie year with the Lions, interviewed Harrington and wrote the article.
Harrington basically said that all that matters is a player’s ability to help a team sell tickets and win football games. He added that even an unsuccessful NFL career can provide a player with enough financial stability to launch a post-playing career.
In Harrington’s case, he runs the Harrington Family Foundation and recently began working part-time as a reporter for KGW News in Portland, Oregon.
Harrington was 26-50 as a starter in his career. He threw 79 touchdown passes and 85 interceptions. He said that he felt like “cattle” during the NFL Scouting Combine. He said the training immediately after college doesn’t help players prepare for football.
“It’s do well at the combine training,” he said.
It’s too early to tell how the careers of Jared Goff and Carson Wentz will turn out. No matter what happens, it wouldn’t hurt if they paid attention to what Harrington says. Even if they are busts, Harrington shows that life can go on.
