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Darren Waller of the New York Giants is considered one of the best tight ends in the league. At the age of 28 Waller has shown that he is a special player and can be a game-changer whenever he steps on the field.
His footballing career, however, did not begin well. Waller struggled with drugs and was suspended several times during his career. He was suspended for three games at Georgia Tech for violating team rules, according to the school.
After being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2015, he was suspended for four games in the 2016 season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. He was later suspended for a year without pay for breaking the league's substance usage policy again.
Last year, Waller opened up on his struggle with drugs and talked about things that he did. Here's what Darren Waller said on the "Pivot Podcast:"
"I failed a bunch of drug tests. Maybe two months after they test me, I'm doing cocaine now, like I'm doing more like… whatever I could pick up, I knew I was moving out of my apartment in Baltimore because I wasn't gonna be on the team during the season.
"Like, alright, I'm gonna get high one more time while I'm here, like, I go and pick up but people have been telling me that pills get pressed, especially in Baltimore."
Speaking about the incident later, which changed his perspective, Waller said:
"I try to get out the car and I'm like, I feel like I'm gonna like pass out or somebody just like pulled the plug out of a TV. Woke up, it was like night time, and I was like in a cold sweat. Feeling like my organs weren't working properly or something. From that day on, I didn't touch nothing since.”
Since being suspended for a year, Waller has changed his life and he became a great asset to the Las Vegas Raiders. Both he and Derek Carr loved playing alongside each other and built great chemistry.
After Derek Carr signed with the New Orleans Saints, Waller also got traded soon after. It came as a shock to everyone, but this could turn out to be a good thing for the tight end
Darren Waller is set for a fresh start in New York
Darren Waller recently got traded to the New York Giants and will now have the opportunity to become the focal point of an offense. The Giants have relied heavily on Saquon Barkley over the years, but the introduction of Waller will ease the load on him and the team will get better.
The Giants, led by Daniel Jones, took a big leap last season under Brian Daboll and will be expected to have an even better season this year.
Last season didn't go well for Waller, but he will hope to bounce back. He had 28 catches for 388 yards and scored 3 touchdowns in 10 games last campaign, where the Raiders missed the playoffs.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit the Pivot Podcast and H/T Sportskeeda.
