Percy Harvin speaks on Brett Favre, smoking pot

By Adam Silverstein
November 20, 2009

The subject of a lot of debate leading up to the 2009 NFL Draft, former Florida Gators wide receiver Percy Harvin never took his eyes off the prize – even when it was revealed he tested positive for marijuana at the combine. While he was certainly a top 10 (if not higher) talent, Harvin’s fall to No. 22 overall may have been the best thing for his life and career. All you have to do is ask Minnesota Vikings future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre and head coach Brad Childress; they will tell you that Harvin is a problem solver, not a problem starter.

ESPN.com senior writer Elizabeth Merrill went in-depth on Harvin and how he has adjusted to the NFL. OGGOA will highlight some of the article here, but if you want to check it out in its entirety, well, you have to head over to ESPN.

Harvin has emerged as one of the Vikings’ most trustworthy players. Whether the team needs a big-time return (he’s one of the best in the league) or a third-down conversion (Favre has looked his way 15 times, 13 for first downs), he is right there. Those are just two of the reasons he is the midseason favorite for NFL Rookie of the Year honors.

Favre and Harvin developed a close relationship right out of the gate, literally. Harvin was the first player to meet and introduce himself to the legendary quarterback upon his arrival in Minnesota. “Look forward to working with you,” Favre said. “Make me look good now.” It would not take long for Favre to build Harvin up. “I told him from day one, ‘Hey, you’re not a rookie.’ Don’t play like it. Don’t buy into it – because I don’t.”

Quickly coming to the realization that playing with Favre was “a chance of a lifetime,” Harvin still gushes to friends and colleagues every time the two speak. “Every time he texts me, it just shocks me,” Harvin said. “Brett Favre is actually texting my phone. It is humbling to know that a guy who’s done it all, who will go down as one of the best quarterbacks ever…still likes to help.”

This is all a long way from where Harvin was just a few months earlier when he learned about the positive marijuana test he triggered while impressing scouts with his on-field talent at the combine. First, he cried. Then, he looked inside himself and realized he made a bad decision. “I didn’t look at [smoking marijuana] and think of all the stuff or all the people that I might let down at the time,” Harvin said. “Of course, I thought about it afterwards. I was disappointed with myself. I had let myself down, my family down, the University of Florida down. So it was probably one of the worst days of my life. But I learned from it. I got back up, kept moving, ended up here and I’m having a great time.”

“Everything happens for a reason, good or bad. It turned out good for me.” It also happened to turn out quite nicely for the Vikings.

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