Christian Ballard's Vanishing Act

[Cliff]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100000 ... -to-return

Coach Leslie Frazier said he assumes the 2011 fourth-round draft pick won't return to the team all season. Frazier hasn't spoken to Ballard in more than a week.

"I think you have to approach it that way. We have to get these guys ready to play who are here. They're practicing every day and we're moving forward," Frazier said Wednesday, via The Star Tribune.

Anybody know anything about this?

[dead_poet]

Haven't heard a lick. Not even speculation.

[Eli]

Same here. Even the beat writers have no idea what's going on.

[PurpleHalo]

Well they cut him, so it's pretty much a dead issue. Just left practice one day, never said a word.

I thought he was a pretty promising player too, but with the depth on the line hard to crack the lineup.

Not as odd as when that cookoo that green reached on in 99 left, bit it's still pretty odd.

[dead_poet]

Well they cut him, so it's pretty much a dead issue. Just left practice one day, never said a word.

I thought he was a pretty promising player too, but with the depth on the line hard to crack the lineup.

Not as odd as when that cookoo that green reached on in 99 left, bit it's still pretty odd.

They cut him? Last I heard they placed him on the active/left squad list.

He just left practice without a word? Where'd you read that?

[Eli]

Well they cut him, so it's pretty much a dead issue.

No, AFAIK, they have him on a reserve list. He's under contract through 2014, so they maintain rights to him should he return. You gotta think it's either something like a serious family issue or else personal problems, maybe mental issues along the lines of Dimitrius Underwood.

[The Breeze]

Whatever it is I hope it resolves peacefully. Hard to imagine what could cause him to miss the whole season, unless it was something regarding whether or not he even wants to play football in the first place.

[King James]

This gives Chase Baker the opportunity to flourish.

I had high hopes for Christian Ballard, but I don't know anymore.

[allday1991]

When I was scrolling down I thought I seen Everson Griffen, relieved to see it was Christian Ballard. Still very unfortunate and odd.

[S197]

[jackal]

weird

[dead_poet]

Huh.

Not sure exactly when this happened, but thought I'd mention Christian Ballard's locker is cleared out, nameplate gone.

[PurpleHalo]

They cut him? Last I heard they placed him on the active/left squad list.

He just left practice without a word? Where'd you read that?

I thought thats what happened. And on the NFL
dot com he was on the cut list, with a side note left squad.

I did recently hear it was a family issue.

[dead_poet]

Vikings DT who walked away: NFL 'wasn't fun for me'

If Ballard ever decides to resume his NFL career, the Vikings own his rights for another two years. But he felt the game, the money and lifestyle consumed him once before. The decision to walk away wasn't made on a whim. It's something that had weighed on Ballard's mind, along with the sense his true calling was elsewhere.

"It made me selfish. It made me complacent. I just thought that I was better than everyone," Ballard said. "Don't get me wrong – there are tons of people who play in the NFL and are strong believers in the Lord and they have a great lifestyle. But for me, it wasn't really working out.

"I'm not sitting here saying I'm done forever. I've just got to reevaluate what I really want to do with my life and go from there."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nf ... d/2827013/

[Eli]

If you read the whole story, it sounds more like he's battling mental problems rather than dealing with his religious convictions, despite what he says. A courthouse marriage in August followed two weeks later by an arrest for domestic battery after an argument is a sign that things are a little scrambled in that kid's brain.