Dion Jordan on possible second chance in NFL: 'I can't waste it'

Being the third overall pick of the NFL draft carries a measure of expectations. Being the third overall pick as a pass-rusher immediately fills fans' heads with visions of that player standing over another helpless quarterback, brought down by the young player.

That's not how things have worked out for Dion Jordan. The Miami Dolphins moved up in the 2013 draft to take the Oregon product, who had totaled 12.5 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss over his final two seasons with the Ducks. Jason Taylor had retired a year before, so the Dolphins were looking for someone to fill the void.

Enter Jordan, who was signed to a four-year contract worth $20.5 million. But his rookie season was disappointing as he played in all 16 games but couldn't crack the starting lineup and finished with two sacks.

Not long after is when the real problems began.

It has been 13 months since Jordan received a one-year minimum ban from the NFL after submitting a diluted sample, which counts as a failed test; in 2014, he missed six games while serving suspensions for marijuana and MDMA, also known as ecstasy.

Jordan will apply for reinstatement with the NFL this week, and sat down recently with USA Today's Tom Pelissero at Empower, the San Francisco facility he says he has been working out at for eight hours a day.

“I’m not about to waste it. I can’t waste it. And I [expletive] love doing it,” Jordan said in his first interview since his suspension began. “Who doesn’t love running out in front of 30,000-plus fans and you get that rush? But it’s also things that you can get that rush from that can be very satisfying and can carry you on to a successful life after football.

“I just turned 26 years old, so life starts to hit you in the face. Who are you outside of those shoulder pads and helmet? And it’s weird, but I feel like it’s a blessing for me at this point in time to think about it, instead of waiting ‘til they really tell me I can’t play football no more.”

Jordan insists he never had a drug problem, and says he has been drug-free since months before the December 2014 diluted sample that led to his current banishment. His agent, Doug Hendrickson, says Jordan panicked before that drug test because he had been drinking alcohol, and didn't know that he wouldn't be tested for alcohol, so he tried to flush his system.

But penalties for drugs of abuse and performance-enhancers are collectively bargained, and a third strike meant Jordan was out for months.

Once he applies for reinstatement, it is up to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell whether Jordan deserves another chance, and assuming he gets that chance, it will then be the Dolphins' decision on whether that opportunity will come with Miami. The coaching staff and general manager are new since Jordan was drafted, so they have little allegiance to him.

The story on USA Today is worth your time, as it details Jordan's early-life struggles and the atmosphere at Empower, which takes a holistic, mind/body approach to helping clients.