Bo Jackson To Russell Wilson, Two-Sport Athletes: Stick To One Sport

Bo Jackson, Russell Wilson Bo Jackson knows sports. So, when Jackson talks sports, people usually listen.

Jackson was one of the most accomplished two-sport athletes ever, and he recently gave some advice to the likes of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston: focus on one sport.

Wilson spent time with the Texas Rangers this month at spring training, and the Super Bowl-winning quarterback looked like a natural on the field. But Jackson said an athlete would be spreading himself too thin if he tried to play more than one sport today.

“Stick to what got (Wilson) in the headlines, not baseball,” Jackson said, via CSNChicago.com.

Winston, the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner, has expressed interest in continuing to play both football and baseball at Florida State and beyond. Winston also was named a preseason All-American in baseball this winter.

Jackson was a Heisman Trophy winner at Auburn. He played professionally with the Oakland Raiders, for whom he averaged 5.4 yards per carry and 16 touchdowns from 1987 to 1990. He also played baseball with the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and California Angels, hitting 141 home runs and stealing 82 bases over eight seasons from 1986 to 1994.

But Jackson said he doubts he’d be able to play both sports today.

“I probably couldn’t, no,” Jackson said. “Just because the talent pool is that deep now. If my kids want to do both sports — ‘No. No. No.’ … If you try to do both, you’re going to be riding the bench in both. You’ll never get to that level that you want to get to if you split your time between multiple sports.”

Left photo via Twitter/@sluggernation