Washington vows to restore legacy in return
ARLINGTON, TEXAS At one of many meetings on Daryl Washington’s road back from banishment, NFL executive Adolpho Birch had an important question for the onetime Pro Bowl linebacker.
“He asked me, ‘ How you know I’m not going to see your face again and you’re not going to be in the same situation?’ ” Washington told USA TODAY Sports, recalling the conversation over breakfast near the Dallas Cowboys stadium. “I said, ‘ Adolpho Birch, next time you’re going to see me is if you’re at my Hall of Fame speech.’
“His eyes just lit up. I said, ‘ I’m serious, man. I’m serious.’ That’s what it’s about. It’s not just about getting back and saying, ‘ Oh, yeah, I made it back.’ You have to do something more.”
Since the NFL reinstated Washington in late April — more than three years after his last NFL game with the Arizona Cardinals in 2013, before repeat violations of the league’s substance abuse program cast him out — he has said he’ll come back better than before, no matter how many reasons there are to wonder if that’s possible.
He’s 30. His body hasn’t had to respond to the pounding or conditioning fatigue of NFL action in years. There’s no real precedent for a player sitting out as long as Washington has and returning to perform at a high level. Any team considering signing him also has to weigh whether Washington can be trusted and is worth backlash from signing a guy who had drug violations and an assault case involving the mother of one of his children. ( He pleaded guilty in 2014 and got probation.)
But Washington is trying to sell the power of his own positive thinking, a belief he was a difference- maker on the field even at times he was struggling off it.
“That guy was the young, immature, think- he- know- it- all, don’t- need- the- resources ( guy),” Washington said. “Now, I have the resources in place. Spiritually, I’m in a better place. Mentally, I’m in a better place. Physically, I’m in a better place. It’s a whole transformation of who Daryl Washington is now.
“When I say where I was when I was going through all those things, I didn’t even know it. I didn’t even know I was down- spiraling. And that’s scary. That’s why now ( it should be), ‘ Oh, how much better is he going to be now? He has a clear head.’ Oh my God, I’m scared for other people to see that. I’m serious. Because it’s going to shock people. ‘ He’s been out that long. He won’t be able to do it. He’s going to go back and smoke. He’s going to relapse. Just wait.’ But for me, it’s not the case.”
Washington says he hasn’t smoked marijuana in about three years. He says he has drank alcohol only occasionally.
“This is where I want to go now,” he said. “So the sacrifice has to be ‘ put this down, put this down, put this down.’ It really feels so good, too.”
He says he wants to be a resource and example for players who might have similar issues.
A Dallas native and Cowboys fan from childhood, Washington says he wants to sign with his hometown team. When he wrote down his comeback goals, they went: sign a one- year deal with the Cowboys, win comeback player of the year, make the Pro Bowl, help the team win the Super Bowl and re- sign to finish his career there.
“I think that star will be on my helmet real soon and it’s going to be a great moment, man,” he said.
Washington said friends with other teams have reached out about playing elsewhere, too. That includes ex- Cardinals teammate Joey Porter, now the Pittsburgh Steelers’ outside linebackers coach, and former Cardinals strength and conditioning coach John Lott, now with the Los Angeles Chargers.
But Washington’s only known offer was the one he says he turned down: to return to the Cardinals for the minimum salary. He wanted a fresh start.
Daniel B. Moskowitz, the attorney who helped Washington reboot and push through his reinstatement bid, says Washington is set financially despite repaying millions in forfeited bonus payments to the Cardinals. Coming back isn’t about the money. So what is the motivation? “Everything, man. Everything,” Washington said. “It’s the legacy, man. It’s the passion for the game of football. You get hungry for success. You’re hungry to overcome something, and also to prove people wrong, and to prove people right. That’s the challenge.
“You’ve got to have your mind in a positive place, say, ‘ I can do this.’ In my mind, I already know I can do it. I don’t know if that’s pride, ego, cockiness, but it’s confidence for me.
“I know I can play to the best of my abilities. Football is easy. Life is challenging.”