Charles Haley warns Cowboys rookie Randy Gregory of media 'zoo', scrutiny
Former Cowboys defensive end Charles Haley was the target of what he calls a "character assassination" when the San Francisco 49ers dealt him to the Dallas Cowboys in the 1992 preseason due to his off-the-field troubles. The five-time Super Bowl champion has reached out to Cowboys second round defensive end Randy Gregory about the media frenzy he will face due to his own off-field issues.
"Everybody makes mistakes in life," Haley said Sunday at AT&T Stadium for Taste of the NFL. "And I don't have time to talk to a guy about a mistake. I want to talk to him about what he's entered into, because this is going to be a zoo, a frenzy trying to attack his character, attack who he is. One moment don't define a man."
The senior from Nebraska tested positive for marijuana at February's scouting combine in Indianapolis, which contributed to his fall from the first round down to the back end of the second round, where Dallas selected him with their 60th pick.
"And the worst thing that's going to happen to this guy is y'all are going to try to make this young man be something he ain't," said Haley. "All he did was make a mistake. I think that I'm going to be around. Some of the other guys are going to be around to try to talk to the young man and tell him embrace it."
Haley says when he arrived in Dallas, owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones told Haley that he loved him for who he was and knew he was great pass-rusher. Not only does Haley believe Jones will have a similar talk to Gregory, but that ex-Cowboys will be around to form a great safety net of support.
"Jerry doesn't give empty promises. So, I believe everything that he said. And Jerry's not alone. He has a family of ex-players that love the Dallas Cowboys and willing to come back and help."
Even with all the support the organization and alumni will have available for Gregory, Haley emphasizes that the team can't "hold a guy's hand."
"You got to make him be a man up front," Haley said. "They have held a lot of guy's hands and it's took two or three years for these guys to mature. Let him go. Talk to him. Be stern. Let him know what the consequences are."
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