Say Goodnight to the Bad Guy! Viral DB Video Sends Twitter Into Uproar

IMG_9483By: Chad Wilson – Editor GridironStuds Blog
Twitter: @gridironstuds

Ever have a bad day?  How about a bad moment?  Well in this day in age,  it only takes one small moment for people to make whole judgements and there’s no better place for that to happen than on the judgmental land we’ve come to know as Twitter.

Sunday morning,  video of a 1-on-1 rep at Nebraska’s Friday Night Lights between a defensive back and a wide receiver sent football twitter into a tizzy. The defensive back in that rep was 3-star Illinois defensive back Tyrik Henderson.  In the video clip which you can view below,  Henderson gets really aggressive with a camper at the line of scrimmage.  In the process, he ends up holding and even choking the wide receiver before slamming him to the ground.

You didn’t have to be a genius to know that it would not be legal contact in a game and at the very least it was an exhibition of poor technique.  For hours on Twitter Sunday,  football fans took to the keyboard to express their critique and disgust for what they saw on the video.  It appears that there are many people out there are at their wits end with some of the activities they see at camps and 7-on-7 events.  It also seemed that Tyrik Henderson, on this day, was going to pick up the tab for all the frustration.

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Having watched the video myself,  I was in agreement that it was poor technique.  As the day wore on,  I was like “alright already” as seemingly everyone and their mother lined up to tee off on the kid.  After so much criticism,  I decided to find out more about Henderson.  In doing my research,  I found out several things, the most of which was that Henderson is actually a good athlete and a solid cornerback.  Had I not done my research and gone on the word of Twitter,  I would have been forced to believe that Henderson flat out sucks,  will be dead in the water once he gets to college and has no future in the sport.  However,  nothing could be further from the truth. What I saw in his high school highlight video was an aggressive defender with good technique and athleticism.  I also saw an individual who was pretty good playing offense too as a WR. Check out the viral clip in question along with a couple of clips from his high school days

Here’s a look at the video

 

When reached for comment,  Henderson admitted that he used poor technique in the clip.  His aim was to satisfy some people in attendance who told Henderson not to let the kid off the line.  His responses to my questions were actually very mature.  He explained that it was his first rep of the camp. Thereafter he went on to display the technique that was required and was praised by the coaches for it.

It’s just another case of social media hysteria where we make a summary judgements about an individual based on small bytes of information.  It’s something that repeats itself on a daily basis with regards to a wide array of issues, football notwithstanding.

Henderson is currently enrolled in St. Thomas More Prep in Connecticut and is working towards reclaiming the more than 18 offers he earned during his high school playing days at Glenbard North HS in Carol Stream, Illinois.

After doing some research and talking to Henderson myself,  I’ve determined that the kid can play for me any day.  Defense thrives on aggression and competitiveness.  Henderson has both of those things amongst some other essential qualities.

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