Robert Griffin III thinks that extortion case is a caution for other rookies – NFL News
Robert Griffin III (RG3) came into the limelight on Monday, but not for good reasons. He was reported to be the alleged target of an extortion attempt.
Talking to reporters during the National Football League (NFL) Rookie symposium on Tuesday June 26, 2012, Griffin refrained from talking about the matter, but he did have a piece of advice for the young players soon to become professionals.
During a break in youth clinic during a Play 60 event at the Cleveland Browns' training facility, Griffin said:
"You've got to be careful who you trust. There's vultures out there, people looking to climb on top of all your money."
Griffin had the perfect opportunity to tell the youngsters to be careful in their future in order to keep themselves away from such problems. He continued:
"It's something I knew was coming, and when you hear those guys (former NFL players) talk about being careful and keep your circle real small -- all those things come back to you when you hear about stuff like this."
During the symposium, rookies heard lectures from former players like Adam “Pacman” Jones and current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick on how to handle the off-field problems.
On Monday, former Baylor basketball player Richard Khamir Hurd was arrested for federal extortion charges. Court documents reveal that Hurd, 25, threatened to publicise some derogatory information about one of his clients, unless he received
some kind of payment.
The representative is only identified by its initials B.D. in the documents and Griffin’s agent name is Ben Dogra.
Griffin has handled the situation very well. He looked very confident during the press conference and showed no stress.
He likes to be around people, yet reaching the professional stage has made him somewhat cautious while choosing friends. He said:
"There's a fine line between guarding yourself and being guarded. It's just something unfortunate that happened so I think guys can learn. It's just something that everyone can learn from and just move on."
Meanwhile, on Tuesday a spokesperson for the U.S. District Court - Western District of Texas, said that Hurd posted $25,000 bond on Monday and that he had waived his preliminary hearing. He also said that there were currently no pending
court dates for this case.
This case is indeed a good lesson for rookies like RG3 who come into the limelight at such a young age. Although they have money and publicity, they should be careful not to throw it away.
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