Every week, leading up to the NFL Draft, former Dallas Cowboys defensive back Clayton Holmes will write a series of exclusive columns for BC Magazine, as told to Blogcritics sportswriter James Dickson.
Jerry Seinfeld once joked that attracting the opposite sex is much easier for women. "At least they know what to do to get us interested," Seinfeld said: "hair, make-up, high-heels."
"Men," on the other hand, "we don't have a clue. Why do you think we're going out into Space and climbing mountains? Because we want to be able to impress the women!"
And there's not many women you'll come across, even those who don't watch football, who won't find it impressive that you're a player in the National Football League, that you've turned a kid's game into a paying gig. If you don't learn how to manage their attentions, you might wind up owing half of your earnings to someone who was never all that interested in you in the first place.
This column, I must say up-front, isn't motivated by any distaste for women — I happen to have two daughters whom I love with all my heart — but by the realities of The Game. And since you can't wish-away the unsavory characters in the world, you must learn how to deal with them. A few inadvertently hurt feelings is better than seeing other guys lose sight of what's really important as an NFL rookie: football.
The Game is Deep
I spotted her right away — her, I had to have. Red head. Total stunner. Legs up to her neck. And, somehow, really enthusiastic about seeing me.
I'd always been a pretty shy guy. Never really went on dates in high school. Didn't even meet my ex-wife until college. Just wasn't the kind of guy women are interested in. So I didn't know why this woman chose me from amongst the chorus — until she opened her mouth.
"Are you financially secure?" she interrogated.
Not — "how are you?" Not — "what's your name?" or "where are you from?" Or any of the questions that warm someone up to you, but — "Are you financially secure?"
Turns out her intentions weren't quite so pure as I'd hoped. Any "romance" I'd be getting from her would come at a price — whether money or gifts or a wedding ring, but a price just the same.
I knew I was in pretty deep water. It was a blessing in disguise that I didn't have enough game at that point for things to progress beyond a few minutes of awkward conversation.
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