As Derrick Henry gets set to embark on his NFL journey, a fellow Alabama alum gave him some advice to keep him away from a different path that all too many great players unfortunately take.
Roy S. Johnson of AL.com, while speaking with Shaun Alexander, asked the former Crimson Tide running back and nine-year NFL veteran if he had any words of wisdom for Henry.
“Surround yourself with good people,” he continued. “There needs to be an elder around you and a brother who’s gonna do it with you. Usually those two people will guide you and tell you whatever you need to do to help you still be who you are, and grow and become a man — and at the same time nudge you back from the path that could be dangerous for you.”
Alexander capped his career in Tuscaloosa with two phenomenal campaigns, the last of which in 1999 resulted in him winning SEC Player of the Year. He led the conference in rushing with 1,383 yards while leading the entire NCAA in touchdowns from scrimmage that season with 23.
Meanwhile, Henry is projected by many to be a second-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft after a record-setting season in which he rushed for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns on his way to winning the Heisman this past season.
You can read the story in its entirety here as it catches up with Alexander, who gave a keynote address on Thursday at the Great Alabama Council’s Boy Scouts of America luncheon at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
