Sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes.
That is certainly the hope for those who care about Rolando McClain, the former Oakland Raider and Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker.
“I know a lot of people get disappointed in Rolando McClain and a lot of the things he's struggled with,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said earlier this week to the crowd at a charity dinner. “But he's with us now.”
By “with us” Saban was referring to the staff and students at the University of Alabama where McClain recently re-enrolled after retiring from the NFL at age 23. The surprise announcement came amid a whirlwind of problems for McClain including three arrests, one suspension and being unceremoniously waived by the Raiders for “conduct disruptive” to the team.
That’s the Oakland Raiders of “Just win, baby” fame we’re talking about. How bad do you have to be for the team of Jack Tatum and Kenny Stabler to cut you loose for misbehavior?
Well, in the case of McClain — a Butkus Award winner when he was the centerpiece of the Crimson Tide defense during the 2009 National Championship season and a top-10 draft pick in 2010 — the answer is: pretty bad.
On Dec. 1, 2011, McClain was back home in Decatur, Ala., when he was arrested and charged with third-degree assault, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm inside the city limits. In short, the 6-foot-4, 255-pound linebacker allegedly got in a fight with a local man named Rishard Tapscott and screamed that he would kill him before firing a pistol near Tapscott’s ear.
Much of the incident was recorded by a passersby. The video did not paint a pretty picture. McClain was found guilty and sentenced to 180 days in jail and $2,000 in fines.
He appealed, and the sheriff dropped the charges after Tapscott refused to be a part of any new hearings.
Unfortunately, that brush with doom didn’t scare McClain straight. A year later, on Nov. 28, 2012, he was thrown out of Raiders practice for getting into a heated and threatening confrontation with his head coach, Dennis Allen. That altercation came just days after McClain had been fined $15,000 for “conduct detrimental to the team,” and just a day after he was demoted to second string. Just a few minutes after being kicked out of practice, he was told not to come back the next day.
That prompted McClain to write on his Facebook page that he hoped the Raiders would waive him so he could play for a “real team.”
The post and the incident earned McClain a two-game suspension and the ire of most of his teammates.
Then, a month after his return to football he was in trouble again. In January 2013 he was arrested again in Decatur, this time for giving false information to a police officer after a routine traffic stop for a tinted window violation. After making bail, McClain accused the police of targeting him and said, “I’m falsely accused of everything. It’s terrible. It’s corrupt.”
The Raiders waived him.
McClain was given a last chance, though. The Baltimore Ravens signed him to a one-year, $700,000 deal that included no guaranteed money but a chance at redemption.
He blew that opportunity with a third arrest in Decatur two months ago on April 21. That day McClain was with a group in a local park when a large crowd gathered near him. Police ordered the men to leave. McClain allegedly refused and began cursing at the officers. He was handcuffed and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Three weeks later on May 15, McClain announced his retirement, putting out a statement that read, in part: “I love football, but I have decided at this time it is in my best interest to focus on getting my personal life together. Beyond that, I am not sure what the future holds for me, including football.”
It was a sad statement from a rudderless and obviously disturbed young man. Today, his future is in the classrooms of Tuscaloosa, where he can be in a comfortable environment around people who can provide him with the structure and support he so desperately needs.
“That guy was a phenomenal leader,” Saban said on Tuesday night. “He affected everybody in the organization at a time when we needed leadership because we had a lot of bad things happen when I first got there.”
McClain has had a lot of bad things happen since. But in a gesture of friendship and admiration, it appears as though Saban is ready to return the leadership favor.
