Donovan Darius....C-ya
I'm in mourning.
Donovan Darius has been a Jaguar since 1998. I remember when he was drafted in the first round in 1998, the quote from Dick Jaruon, then defensive coordinator, was that he'd bring "violence" to this football team. He did that and more. He is known for being a big hitter, but in J'ville, he is known for a whole lot more. The guy is very involved in the community, he's very involved with the fan base, and he's just an all around good guy...the kind of guy you want fifty of on a team that represents your city.
He does a bunch of charity work, and is now in the middle of a fund raiser for a children's hospital. He has an event each year where he goes bowling (yes, I said bowling) with pretty much whoever, in the way of fans, wants to show up. Donovan Darius put a great human face on the organization that is the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars cut him yesterday, and I don't get why. He was classy about it all, saying he understood that it's a business, thanking the fans for our support, and the team for doing it now which makes it easier to catch on with another team. The talking heads are all saying, "Yeah, I saw it coming. He's getting older and the Jaguars drafted Reggie Nelson to play safety and..." I get that. I get that he's older. I get that he's been injured the last two years, but last year someone broke his ankle. That's not a factor of getting older. It's just bad luck. The bottom line is, in my opinion, our defense, and our locker room, is far better with him than without him. Donovan Darius is still an awesome football player. Yeah, I like the guy and don't want to see him go and....well...I just have a hard time envisioning Donovan Darius in a uniform that isn't teal.
Donovan Darius has been a Jaguar since 1998. I remember when he was drafted in the first round in 1998, the quote from Dick Jaruon, then defensive coordinator, was that he'd bring "violence" to this football team. He did that and more. He is known for being a big hitter, but in J'ville, he is known for a whole lot more. The guy is very involved in the community, he's very involved with the fan base, and he's just an all around good guy...the kind of guy you want fifty of on a team that represents your city.
He does a bunch of charity work, and is now in the middle of a fund raiser for a children's hospital. He has an event each year where he goes bowling (yes, I said bowling) with pretty much whoever, in the way of fans, wants to show up. Donovan Darius put a great human face on the organization that is the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars cut him yesterday, and I don't get why. He was classy about it all, saying he understood that it's a business, thanking the fans for our support, and the team for doing it now which makes it easier to catch on with another team. The talking heads are all saying, "Yeah, I saw it coming. He's getting older and the Jaguars drafted Reggie Nelson to play safety and..." I get that. I get that he's older. I get that he's been injured the last two years, but last year someone broke his ankle. That's not a factor of getting older. It's just bad luck. The bottom line is, in my opinion, our defense, and our locker room, is far better with him than without him. Donovan Darius is still an awesome football player. Yeah, I like the guy and don't want to see him go and....well...I just have a hard time envisioning Donovan Darius in a uniform that isn't teal.
Labels: Sports
John put this out here at 7:10 AM
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