Jets TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins: ‘Since I stopped drinking, it’s been a transformation’
Jets tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins said Tuesday that he has stopped drinking and attended alcohol rehab on an outpatient basis this offseason, ESPN.com reported.
Seferian-Jenkins, 24, said he quit drinking Jan. 21 and is focused on trying “to win one day at a time.”
“Knowing you need help and you don’t go get it, that’s the worst thing,” he told ESPN.com. “I was scared to get help. I was scared and embarrassed to tell people I have a problem.”
The cascade of events that led to this point: Seferian-Jenkins, while with the Buccaneers, was arrested on a DUI charge in September and, in the aftermath, a police video surfaced in which he makes crude remarks in the back of the police cruiser. The Bucs, who drafted him in the second round in 2014, waived him after the incident. The Jets took a chance on him, picking him up on waivers, but he continued to drink during the 2016 season and ballooned to 285 pounds, 25 over his roster weight. Finally, he sought help in January. In March, he was suspended for the first two games of the 2017 season under the NFL’s personal-conduct policy.
Although he had to return a portion of his signing bonus from his contract, Johnson clarified his departure had nothing to do with money. Nonetheless, he’s making the most of his free time now.
“They told me they wouldn’t trade me if I came back and stuff like that, but Liverpool Cheap Jerseys it wasn’t about that,” Johnson said. “It was about how I Miami Dolphins Cheap Jerseys felt.
“Retired life’s good, man. My schedule is freed up. It’s not entirely free because I’m doing a little work here and there independently, but it’s been good. I can’t complain. I’m spending time with my family, I’m going to move home soon, so it’s been good.”
Johnson, a six-time Pro Bowl and three-time All-Pro selection, finished his career with 731 receptions for 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns — all Lions franchise records.