Former Ohio State All-American cornerback Malcolm Jenkins is in the same boat as every other NFL player: locked out of football.
With time on his hands, Jenkins might get his creative juices flowing.
“I was up at Ohio State’s practice, lobbying to get a coaching job,” Jenkins said. “Either coaching or I’ve been watching a lot of HGTV. I might try to get into some interior designing or something.”
Locked out for more than a month, the NFL and the NFL Players Association have yet to reach an agreement on collective bargaining.
“Every player is enjoying the time off,” Jenkins said, “not having as many responsibilities as far as mandatory workouts, to be able to take some time off and be with family, stuff like that.”
Jenkins, who plays for the New Orleans Saints, said the urge to get back to his usual spring schedule is starting to grow.
“Guys are wanting to get together and do our own workouts together, just get back to football,” Jenkins said. “Guys are starting to itch and want to get back on the field.”
If the NFL lockout does not end and Jenkins can’t find a different job, he said he will be able to survive without a paycheck for a while, though he fears that some won’t be as financially comfortable.
“We’ve known about this for two years now,” Jenkins said. “Me personally, I’ve prepared for it. But I know for a fact that there are some guys who may not have saved like they needed to.
“It will impact some guys, but hopefully over the last few years, guys have followed the plan and been smart with their money.”
Something players might not be prepared for is human growth hormone testing, which NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says must be part of the new collective bargaining agreement.
The test, which would require blood to be drawn, has received criticism, both positive and negative, from the NFL players and their union.
Jenkins said he wasn’t sure what was involved in HGH testing but that he can understand why some players are against it.
“I talked to someone yesterday who said they had to take blood,” he said. “When you do that, you get tired. If you get a surprise HGH test on a Friday and you’ve got to play on a Sunday, that can have some effect on your performance.”
Jenkins said he doesn’t think HGH is a problem in the NFL.
“I don’t think our league is played with that,” he said. “I don’t see (HGH testing as) necessary.”
Jenkins said he thinks there will be football but that he doesn’t know if it will be in time for teams to prepare the way they normally do.
“Depending on how long this thing goes, if you miss the whole offseason, from a teaching and learning standpoint, young players don’t get as much time as they usually have,” Jenkins said. “We’re really going to have to go back to the basics because there’s no spring ball or (anything) like that.
“Rookie players, the chances of them making it shrinks. They have less time to make that learning curve.”
Although no one is sure of a time frame for players to get back to work, Jenkins said he’s confident that it is a matter of when football starts rather than if it starts.
“There’s a good chance for football,” he said. “I think there’s going to be football.”
