A bust in football refers to a player that is highly touted coming into the NFL and failing to perform. Most times a bust in football is selected high in the NFL draft.
The higher a player is drafted the higher expectations are set for this player to perform well in the league. Once the player feels to meet expectations people will start referring to the player as a bust.
In order for a player to be a bust, he will have to fail to play at his potential at any point in his career. Say a player takes a while to reach his potential but eventually reaches it. This player would not be considered a bust as he ended up meeting expectations.
Main Reasons Football Players Become Busts
Though each player is different there are typically a few main reasons why players become busts. Below we will explain each major factor that can lead to a derailed football career.
Lack Of Development
One of the most common reasons a high draft pick busts is because they no longer develop once they are selected. Many times players are taken for the player they may turn into and not the one they are now.
This carries some risk as some of these players have already reached their ceiling. This is why you will often see players who are physically gifted bust.
These players are valued for their build and potential but unless they can hone in their game their football career will not meet their best.
Failed Drug Tests
A sad reality of draft busts is that drugs are sometimes a deciding factor. The NFL conducts drug tests often in order to ensure their players are using any banned substances.
If players fail these tests for any substance it will earn them suspensions from the league. A failure to consistently pass these drug tests has led to many NFL careers being cut short.
Legal Issues
Another common issue amongst busted draft picks is legal issues. Unfortunately, NFL players just like regular people have some bad apples commit crimes and often get caught.
These legal issues can have drastic issues on your NFL career. Not only is this bad PR for your team and organization but it will also often earn you a suspension.
Sadly this is a very common reason draft picks bust in the NFL. Each offseason several NFL players are charged with various crimes.
If any of those players are rookies it is likely that these sorts of mistakes will have an effect on their NFL career.
Lack Of Passion
Finally the last reason nfl players bust is due to lack of passion. To play in the NFL you must work extremely hard and study just as hard. Players are expected to stay in peak physical condition on top of studying their playbook consistently.
Some players don’t have the passion for football to motivate themselves to live this lifestyle. Jamarcus Russell for example went first overall at the quarterback position and was caught having not watched any of his assigned game film.
This sort of attitude can have you out of the league in a hurry.
Concluding Thoughts
All in all a bust in football is a term used to signify players that never quite met the expectations fans and teams had for them as a football player.
