Seahawks wouldn’t clear Malik McDowell. Neither should anyone else

The saga of the man who became the worst Seahawks draft pick ever continues, as his own doctors clear him to play football. This is a very bad idea.

That man is Malik McDowell, who the Seahawks selected with their first pick of the 2017 draft. It was a second-round pick, but that’s what Seattle does. He certainly isn’t regarded as a wasted pick because of a lack of talent. Rather, it was an off-field injury that took him away from Seattle. We’re finally learning a little more about the situation now from McDowell’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

As reported by the ever-brilliant Bob Condotta in The Seattle Times, both McDowell and the Seahawks traveled a long road to reach their parting. As Condotta reports, Rosenhaus went on record for the first time regarding the nature of McDowell’s injury:

"“Unfortunately Malik got injured and it was a brain injury, a head injury,” Rosenhaus said to a small group of reporters here Monday. “And the Seahawks, they did a wonderful job of exhaustively checking to see if they could get him cleared to play. Ultimately their doctors were not comfortable clearing him. He has since been cleared by independent doctors.”"

Considering the reputation of Rosenhaus as one of the toughest agents in sports, I’m amazed he gave the Seahawks so much credit. He mentioned the team’s efforts to get McDowell cleared a second time, in fact. It’s nice to hear an agent praise a team for a change, right?

Seattle Seahawks

If the Seahawks didn’t clear him, why would anyone else?

Here’s my concern, though. As Condotta reported, it’s estimated that Seattle paid McDowell about $4 million of the nearly $7 million dollar contract. Not bad money for a guy who never played a single snap. But apparently, he still wants to play football. We know the Hawks never cleared him to play, and Rosenhaus confirmed it. But now, in the words of Rosenhaus, “He has doctors who have cleared him independently…”., which in my mind, is not a good thing. You have an athlete who had a brain injury so severe that he couldn’t get on the field for two years. The team that drafted him, the team that would desperately want to get some value, any value out of their second-round pick, still wouldn’t clear him to play.

And now doctors that either the player or his agent hired have cleared him to play the most violent sport possible. McDowell will play a position where he is guaranteed to make contact on every single play. I’m no doctor, have never played on TV, not even in a YouTube video. But does this make sense to anyone, anyone at all? You have a man who couldn’t even practice football for two years because of brain damage, and you want to put him in the CTE trenches? No, no no.

Let’s ignore the basic humanity of letting a man with brain damage play a sport that has been repeatedly linked to….what was it? Oh yes: brain damage. McDowell could be a walking lawsuit if he gets on the field again. Does anyone think this poor guy can take a shot to the head, seriously? Sure, maybe. Can he take a dozen every game? No, no, and…no.

This is a terrible idea. I get that McDowell wants to play. I get that Rosenhaus should be an advocate for his client’s interests. But in this case, he should be an advocate for his client’s best interests, and that has to be his health. The Seahawks had a vested interest in declaring him fit to play, and they didn’t. Mr. McDowell, enjoy the millions you got, and please start a new, safer career.