Dragon Slaying?

I saw a disturbing item in the news this week about a player whose name few people would recognize.  His name is Eric Naposki and his NFL playing career included stints with the Patriots and Colts and cups of coffee with the Cowboys and Jets in the late 1980s.  Even diehard of fans for those teams probably don’t remember the name.  Now, Naposki is in the news for completely different and much more chilling reasons. 

Naposki has been arrested and charged with the murder of a businessman for financial gain.  Reportedly a friend of Naposki stood to gain 1M on an insurance policy, and Naposki allegedly was the triggerman for the hit on this businessman, shooting him several times.  Both Naposki and his friend are now charged with murder and face life in prison.

Why I am bringing up Naposki?  Personal reasons.  As the first general manager of the Barcelona Dragons in 1991, I chose Naposki with one of my first draft picks and he became our best defensive player.  Although he never played any significant time in the NFL, he was a top player for us in the World League of American Football.  He led our team – and we went to the inaugural World Bowl -- in tackles and was tied for the lead in sacks. 

Naposki was a favorite of the coaches as well.  One of the most memorable times on the practice field involved Naposki.  We had two Spanish players on the team – players that had been playing football for a couple years compared to the rest of the team having played since they were eight years old – and at one point they were making some noise about not getting into the games to play, rubbing some players and coaches the wrong way with their sense of entitlement.  Hearing this, the coaches wanted to send them a message and were strategic in the next practice to show those players that they weren’t ready for prime time at that level.  Naposki had a role.

The first Spanish player, Guillermo, a running back, took a handoff in practice and Eric Naposki flattened him immediately with force unlike Guillermo had ever seen in the Spanish leagues.  The second Spanish player, Xisco, a receiver, ran a slant in that practice and was clothes lined by, you guessed it, Naposki.  Xisco’s helmet was spun around and he had a bloody nose.  After that practice, neither Guillermo nor Xisco complained about playing in a game again (they did play one play each, which is another long story).

Our coach in Barcelona, Jack Bicknell, had this to say about Naposki at the time "He's just a super kid.  He's quick and he's smart and what I like is the way he reads the game. He's got great anticipation. Eric actually has the defense believing they can shut every other team out.”

Reading the story about what may have happened this past month, I think about Naposki’s scripted violence 18 years ago compared to what he is now being charged.  The linebacker who was our best defensive player for the first edition of the Barcelona Dragons is in some deep, deep trouble.  I hope and pray he did not do what he is being charged with; it’s a long way from tackling World League players.

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