Former second-round pick Austin Seferian-Jenkins has been turning heads at Jets organized team activities thanks to his significant weight loss and renewed focus.
His secret?
"I just quit drinking and quit eating McDonald's when I was hammered," Seferian-Jenkins told NJ.com's Darryl Slater.
While this sounds like some breezy, back-to-work humor, this was the lead quote in a jarring deep dive into Seferian-Jenkins' personal makeover. The NJ.com piece is well worth your time and gets into alcoholism and why Seferian-Jenkins nearly tossed away his potential, but also provides a window into the future.
Had Seferian-Jenkins not been carrying this baggage out of the University of Washington, he might very well have been a first-round pick. Could the tight end-starved Jets be the beneficiary of an emotional remodeling?
Seferian-Jenkins' honesty makes the story all the better. He told NJ.com that Jets coaches flat out said "dude, you're fat," during a season-ending interview.
"I was always just thinking about [seeking help]. Because this isn't working for me. I'm not happy. Football is not going good. I'm out of shape. I don't feel good. Life just sucked," he said. "It was a really [expletive] situation, honestly, on a daily basis. I hadn't been happy for years."
Here's hoping the outpatient therapy and sobriety continue. With any player or person struggling with these issues, sometimes confronting them with honesty is the best way to solve them.
