FanPost

This is the time of year for optimism, and to hope for happy endings.

I know the Dallas Cowboys aren't running a halfway house, so any potential happy ending for hard luck players, like recently signed LB Rolando McClain, or rookie UDFA WR L'Damian Washington will come down to their performance during training camp and the pre-season. If they can't contribute on the field, then their string of misfortune is likely to continue, and that's just the way it is.

That being said, I'm pulling for both players for some different reasons, but also because of one thing they have in common – superior athletic ability. These are the kind of low risk / high potential guys that the Cowboys SHOULD be looking at in order to "massage the bottom of the roster" as Bill Parcells used to say. If they should hit on either one of these players, like they did with DE George Selvie last year, it's like finding money.

Poverty and personal tragedy are recurring themes in both McClain and Washington's early years. Washington's father was killed when he was 5, and his mother died from a blood clot when he was 15. His older brother became the legal guardian for L'Damian and their brothers so they could remain together in spite of all the financial hardships that struck the family. Despite nagging injuries, and the lack of proper nutrition, training, and rest, the 6-4, 188-pound Washington was highly productive at Missouri, often flashing his blazing 4.39 speed while catching 59 passes for 692 yards with three touchdowns. It wasn't enough to get him drafted, but he was one of the Cowboys' priority free agents, and was signed shortly after the draft. I am eager to see how he responds physically to the Cowboys strength, conditioning, and nutrition program. I remember how Leon Lett transformed himself into an absolute beast during his rookie year after eating healthy food on a regular basis for the first time in his life.

Rolando McClain didn't have any problems getting drafted. He was the bluest of the blue chip, "can't miss" prospects coming out of Alabama after winning the National Championship in 2009. He was drafted no. 8 overall by the Raiders, and penciled in as an immediate starter, but despite his pedigree, he was woefully unprepared for success. He had a falling out with Raider's head coach, Dennis Allen after a shouting match which eventually resulted in a suspension, and ultimately, his release. He was signed by the Ravens, and stayed just long enough for a cup of coffee before retiring, saying his heart was no longer in the game.

McClain was written off as a bust, and in GarrettSpeak, "the WRONG kind of guy," but his own troubled youth may have been a major factor in his inability to handle the demands of a professional football career. When he was 15, his mother beat him and attacked him with a knife, which resulted in a protective order being filed against her on her son's behalf, but a year later she was arrested again, this time for threatening McClain's high school, and she was finally diagnosed as suffering from bipolar disorder. She lost custody, and McClain went to live with a teammate's family, until he left for Alabama.

While not necessarily hereditary, bipolar disorder does tend to run in families, and it's very possible that McClain himself may benefit from some kind of medication to help him deal with his mood swings and impulse control. It will certainly help that he has broken ties with several friends and family members from his hometown of Decatur, Ala who were less than positive influences in his life, and who took advantage of his ‎naïveté and inexperience with financial matters, and bled his bank account dry.

As far as human interest stories go, so far the lives of McClain and Washington have all the elements needed for a compelling, uplifting tale of two men overcoming tremendous obstacles to achieve their dreams of success in the NFL.

Now all they need is a happy ending.

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