Wes Welker has had enough of the bad news coming out of the NFL this offseason.
There have been some 35 arrests among NFL players since the Super Bowl, according to the San Diego Union-Times, and those numbers include two of Welker’s former Patriots teammates. The perennial Pro Bowl receiver seemed disappointed by the league’s sudden spike in arrests and addressed the issue during a recent interview with Doug Farrar of Yahoo! Sports’ Shutdown Corner blog.
“I think it’s important as far as being able to give back,” Welker said while promoting his work with the Depends Player Challenge. “There’s so much negativity going in the NFL, [it’s important] to do something positive.”
The Broncos’ newest receiver is doing some good of his own this offseason with the Challenge, attempting to raise $50,000 for the V Foundation along with Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware. His efforts set a positive example for young NFL players, especially as they see other stars like Aaron Hernandez, Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones and former Lions receiver Titus Young behind bars.
With all that turmoil surrounding the league, Welker offered up some advice to the NFL’s younger players.
“You’re under a microscope,” Welker said. “With cell phones and cameras and everything else, it’s hard to really go anywhere and do anything — just go to dinner sometimes. You have to be really careful, and surround yourself with good people, and put yourself in the right situations. You really need to plan your nights out on the town, or whatever, so that you’re not putting yourself in any kind of bad situations.”
Of all the voices percolating through the walls of the NFL these days, Welker’s appears worth listening to.
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