The Butkus award winner who was kicked out of the league 

For a lot of players, once football becomes a job and you have to be accountable and rely on yourself for structure, you start to see their true colors. The signs were there, but he was one of the most gifted and intimidating linebackers in Saban's time at Alabama. That's saying something. Once football became a job, it became a chore. Running back to where his problems started was probably just a distraction from responsibilities. It's a shame either way. Great video. This channel deserves to be so much bigger.

The biggest thing people don’t realize in cases like these is that if they liked the player they’d find a way to get them through it & escape trouble. Stuff like this only happens to guys they don’t like. It can also be the case where they’re grossly overpaid & they begin to dislike them because they refuse to negotiate a new deal. A high school teammate of mine was a borderline all pro player in the NFL for 12 years. He got into trouble bc of weed several times but it was always swept under the rug.

Rolando McLain and Sergio Kindle were absolutely ELITE!!

He was a known problem in high school. Some schools wouldn’t recruit him, but elite athletes are always covered for thru college. Once they get in the real world it shows up fast.

From Rolando’s hometown. Some very rough parts of Decatur. It’s called the armpit of north Alabama for a reason. Think Nick was the authority figure he needed. When he went to the pros that was gone. Really was rooting for him when he was with the cowboys just couldn’t stay out of trouble.

I remember when this happened and every Raider fan was shocked they did not take a fast receiver in the first round again.

He should've stayed outta Decatur. I'm from across the bridge (Huntsville). I saw nothing but a lot of trouble for most of my young life hanging in Decatur. Fights, shootouts at the Pines, more fights, and police issues....that's all that Decatur had to offer.

Sounds like he needed serious mental health therapy earlier in his life. Genetically his mother having bipolar issues, issues with authority and no stable environment just carried all those problems on for years only growing deeper over time. I hope he gets the help he needs as an adult at some point.

I'm from Decatur and went to the same school as Rolando. I hate that his career went like this. I remember when he kept getting into trouble in Decatur and wondered why he wouldn't just stay out of the city or just lay low when he went back home. Seems like he acted like he had something to prove but everybody knew who he was so he actually didn't...and providing a fake id is just stupid. You are a football star that played for Alabama, got drafted in the top 10...everybody in your hometown including the Cops know who you are. I hope he has learned to control his anger at this point in his life and hope he is doing well

Still remember his body slam tackle on the dirt in Oakland

Good vid, keep up the work. McClain was a beast

DT is top 3 all time LB ever

Sad thing was academically he was very smart book wise. No excuse but he had a rough upbringing. And was so big early on most were afraid of him. He lived house to house with whoever could take him. He lived with a lady my brother worked with back then and said he was so nice BUT he also knew he was so big he could act out and everyone be afraid of him. Just had no Clue how to account for anything. Never really had too.

He was drafted by the Raiders. With as dysfunctional as they have been over the past 40+ years even players who previously lived under the best of circumstances have struggled. Look at their history of blown high draft picks. If McClain was drafted by the Steelers, Ravens, Patriots, etc…he might have been a Hall of Famer.

Just trashing opportunities other people dream of

I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head, like his rap sheet has got to be one of most unimpressive, completely asinine and totally preventable rap sheets I've ever seen in any of these "What If" situations. To even label this guy a villain or even a bad apple akin to Maurice Clarett/Laurence Philips is a huge stretch. His stupidity and lack of situational awareness places him in the Johnny manziel tier if I'm being honest. Smh what a friggin waste.

NFL title game ? They haven’t been there since the 90s

Told Satan to be quiet? This is a coach who made a pro 300+ lb lineman cry the year before

I thought we was set when we drafted RC

RO MAC was a straight dawg

To show how great he was his first tackle ever in preason game broke a guys rib!!!

Got his signing bonus and a little money. Now he's got f..k it money

You misspoke. The 2014 Cowboys didn't make the "NFL Championship". They lost in the divisional round. They haven't even made a NFC Championship since 1995 ( they went on to beat the Steelers for the Superbowl that year.)

_Damn_ but Nick Saban cares about his players.

i was excited when he came to the cowboys.

What did he do to his mom?

Good vid, but i'm sorry. Calling Decatur, AL a tough area surrounded by violence and gangs is laughable 😂.

I wish Rolando would come and be Alabamas defensive coordinator I think he would be a great coach

The behavioral problems that black athletes and black men in general have are mostly due to the lack of a positive male influence in the household growing up.

Cowboys showed some grit sticking with him. That drug policy is bullsht.

I hate when people use their upbringing and the environment they grew up in as an excuse for their terrible decisions in life. For every person who goes down the wrong path when enduring those conditions, there's a person who makes the proper decisions to be on the right path. Does those conditions make it much harder to make it out? Absolutely, but doesn't make it impossible. They have an excuse on deck everytime it gets tough. There's been an infinite amount of people who made it out of terrible environments. You just have to refuse to let those obstacles define who you are.

Sounds like living in a bad culture. Too bad.

Bot to stereotype but its always the black guys