NFL Draft: Larry King dishes on Jadeveon Clowney on ESPN2’s “Olbermann”
By Sydney Hunte
Jan 31, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Television performer Larry King walks the red carpet prior to attending the Howard Stern 60th Birthday Bash at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The venerable Larry King had some thoughts on Jadeveon Clowney.
Subbing for Keith Olbermann (who was at the Sports Emmys on Tuesday evening) on ESPN2’s nightly show, Olbermann, King, who’s always been good for a sports take or two, dished out his thoughts on the South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end.
“Remember that famous helmet-popping hit…Clowney put on Michigan tailback Vincent Smith…? I figured not. I’ve been around 80 years and it’s one of the most explosive plays I’ve ever seen…Not only does Clowney scoop the ball up, but he turns the game around and his team goes on to win.
“Now that is a franchise player right there, the kind of guy an entire offensive line would be worrying about when it breaks from the huddle. First overall pick, right? Not so fast. Some insiders say that was just one play. What about the times when Clowney didn’t play in college because of injuries that weren’t deemed major?
“So, how committed is he? Can he even build a franchise or can we even build a franchise around one player in the NFL? Certainly if he’s not on the sidelines. ”
King’s point throughout his show-opening monologue touching on various sports topics is that there’s always “another way to look at it”. But it seems that while he’s a big fan of Clowney, he did a good job doing a basic presentation of the fact that maybe the choice to take Clowney #1 isn’t as cut and dry as some people might think.
We’ll find out on Thursday night.