Raiders' Walker needs tough love

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Aug 4, 2008 | by Monte Poole

NAPA

AL DAVIS HAS welcomed the rejected, embraced the troubled, spoken out for the voiceless. He has covered costs for medical bills, alternative treatments and funerals.

Having rescued many a soul, it's reasonable that the Raiders boss would look in the mirror and see the reflection of a savior.

He wants to save his team and he wants to save a player, but the efforts toward the latter may hinder the former.

Of the Raiders' needs, a No. 1 receiver ranks high. That was the role Al projected for Javon Walker upon dropping $55 million ($16 mil guaranteed) on him in March, five months after his second knee surgery and five days after he had been released by Denver.

A fit, healthy, committed Walker could be a No. 1 wideout, surely aiding the development of young quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

But Walker, 29, isn't fit or healthy or committed. He has neither the body nor the mind of a playmaker.

So he thinks about retiring. A glance at his past explains why.

After being selected to the Pro Bowl in 2004, Walker squabbled with Green Bay over his contract, threatened to retire but returned to sustain an ACL injury in the 2005 opener. He was traded to Denver in the offseason. After a solid '06 season, he and some teammates went partying. Events turned violent, concluding with Walker not only witnessing the gunshot murder of teammate Darrent Williams but holding him as he took his last breaths.

Though the motive for the shooting has not been established, there are reports that it may have started when someone in the Broncos' party sprayed champagne on club-goers.

Walker last season underwent another knee surgery, bickered with his team and was released, after which he signed with the Raiders and announced he would be a leader in Oakland.

Three months later, partying in Las Vegas, Walker was photographed spraying champagne on bar patrons. Hours later, he was found beaten unconscious and hospitalized, allegedly a robbery victim.

Walker arrived in training camp 13 days ago, insisting he was OK and eager to prepare for 2008. A week later, he informed coach Lane Kiffin he was pondering retirement and would return his $11 million signing bonus.

To recap, Walker's six-year NFL career, though productive at times, has been marked by unhappiness, trauma, grief, denial, more trauma and more denial -- and, now, apparent despair.

Can there be a more vivid illustration of a man untethered, his emotions teetering?

That Walker has been overweight and poorly conditioned have been a source of concern since he joined the team. They speak to his desire. How important is football? All things considered, how important should it be?

He watched a friend die. Murdered. Two knee surgeries. Being released. Then, too, when an NFL player is physically handled, it scratches at his manhood.

Walker needs help. Now. Those close to him acknowledge this. To fully address the issue, it might be best to get away from football. To get support and professional counseling. To be heard.

Kiffin listened to Walker's misgivings about his future and was immediately concerned. He urged Walker to deliberate, talk to family and friends. Kiff phoned Javon's parents and suggested Walker discuss his plight with Davis.

Walker spoke with Al and came out of their meeting with a new outlook.

The talk of retirement was gone. Walker didn't explain why it entered his mind, but said he was past it and "in a great frame of mind."

Just like that.

"I think there are a lot of things going on with him, in his mind," Kiffin told reporters the other day.

Some jobs, police officer and paratrooper to name two, demand a certain assurance and passion. They can't be done well with a partial commitment. Pro football player falls into that category.

Don't want to play? You should stay away.

Unsure about playing? You don't belong on the field.

Walker throughout camp has been a man apart. Distracted. Uneasy. Lonely. In need of rescue.

And Davis is attempting that. It's well-intentioned but short- sighted, for the Raiders and Javon would be better off if Al had taken the $11 million.

Contact Monte Poole at mpoole@bayareanewsgroup.com