In June 2017 Keyshawn Johnson, Jr. was cited for suspicion of marijuana possession while on the football roster at the University of Nebraska. He had moved to Lincoln from his home in California in January of his senior year in high school to start his college life and to be able to participate in spring football practice. This summer he had been participating in off-season training as a member of the Cornhusker football team and living in the dorms. Johnson, Jr. was a highly recruited 4-star wide receiver coming out of Calabassas High School and projects to be strong contributor in the next few years. From all reports he is an engaging young man, very popular among his teammates, and is given credit for convincing others to join the Cornhuskers. And yes, he is the son of one of the more famous professional football players in the last twenty years, Keyshawn Johnson, Sr.
Who knows what the young man was like before he moved to Lincoln, but my guess is he was pretty much the typical teenager, though one with a lot of attention because of his name. He most likely avoided a lot of struggles that many other kids have because his father did well financially and continues to pursue opportunities, and he had both parents in the home. My assumption is that he was a pretty good kid because 1) Coach Mike Riley and his staff screen their recruits very closely and there isn’t much about a prized recruit they don’t know, and 2) he has been covered extensively by the media and if there were warts, missteps, or skeletons in the closet, I have to believe journalists would have found them. So, I would assume he was pretty much a normal teenager, one that hung out with his friends and did things that teenagers do.
What I like about this story is that he earned the trust of his parents such that they allowed him to move out of their home a semester early and go off a couple of thousand miles away to become a college student a semester earlier than most. They gave him the opportunity to start the next stage of his life and to be more responsible for the decisions that would determine the path he would take. And guess what . . . he made a bad choice. He made a bad decision and it got him jammed up with the law. I am sure that he was convinced he was mature enough to make his own decisions, and I am sure he convinced his parents that he could handle all of the exposure and publicity that comes with being a D-1 athlete and in the public eye. And then he screwed up and dad says, “Whoa! Not so fast!”
Within a couple of days of the incident, Keyshawn Johnson, Sr. released a statement that his son was going to take a leave of absence from the Nebraska football team and was returning to California because he was not mature enough to live life on his own, yet. Senior had him gather all of his things, pack them up, and Junior got on a plane and headed home. In information released to the media, no decisions will be made as to his future, he has to grow up and figure some things out.
So what’s the point? For one, a parent stepped in and held the child accountable. KJ, Sr. did not make excuses. He did not point fingers anywhere except directly at his son. That in itself is refreshing because many other parents today would have found excuses, maybe blaming other guys living in the dorm or saying that having a little weed is no big deal. This is also refreshing because he is a man — Keyshawn Johnson, Sr. — that is very proud. He worked hard and succeeded. He is proud of what he has accomplished and of his name. Junior tainted the Johnson name, and a lesson is going to be learned. Dad knows what it is like to live life in the spotlight, and when it shows brightest is when people need to make sure they are doing the right thing. Junior ignored that. He wasn’t quite conscious of all of the responsibility that comes with fame. I am sure that his dad had all kinds of conversations with him about that, but like they say, until you live it you can’t really appreciate it. Junior’s actions showed that he hasn’t quite figured it out.
So, Keyshawn Johnson, Jr. will not be catching passes this fall wearing the scarlet and cream of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He will be getting his education back in Calabasas, California, learning to be a man of character and how to get back in his father’s good graces. As a Cornhusker fan I am hopeful that he returns when it works out for him, and that he becomes the man his father is raising him to be.
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