Mark Pike’s son is trying out with Bills - heck of a story

[Hapless Bills Fan]

5 hours ago, That's No Moon said:

I was wondering why they'd take on this kid and not Kelly, then I got to the part of the 2016 article that referenced the ministry he'd started and it made sense.  Not to me mind you, but to the people who make such decisions at OBD.  

 

McDermott is on the Andy Reid tree and Reid spouts this BS (IMO) also culture, culture, faith, blah, blah, blah.  Then you look at the turds Reid has enabled over the years and the hot mess his own kids are/were and I start to look at it skeptically.  Frankly, I'm skeptical of most people who clothe themselves in religion as a methodology to cleanse themselves.  This Pike kid started a ministry? Dude, get your own house in order.

 

I seriously doubt this has anything to do with his ministry.  I think Yolo found the connection - we got a guy in the Bills office still, who played with the kid's Dad.

 

Chad Kelly was offered an actual practice squad spot, not just a "come in 2 days for a tryout"

 

I agree this kid needs to get his own house in order, but he could have it 99% in order for all we know.  One slipup is all it takes.  That's the horror of addictions.

 

Speaking as a parent and seeing other parents, kids are very very hard.  The parents can do everything "right", teach the kids well, live a sincere example, and still have them turn to a hot mess.  Reading some of what happened and what the kid went through when the Pikes finally cut this kid off made my gut clench.

 

[C.Biscuit97]

45 minutes ago, LSHMEAB said:

"Recovering" addict myself so I always root for these kids/grown men. The struggle is real. I don't think Pike has a future in the NFL, but I'm glad he's getting a shot.

I know how bad it can be and I root for any person to survive it.  The stuff about the girlfriend is awful.  

 

Personally, as someone who didn’t have a dad in the nfl, it seems like some kids get a million more chances than other kids.  Lot of other kids, maybe with more talent than Pike, who didn’t have the opportunities he had growing up.  Things like if you mess up once, your life is over.  I guess that’s life though and I hope he really is over it.

 

also, sometimes a locker rom isn’t the best way to overcome an addiction.  I didn’t play in the  nfl but I’ve seen plenty of not great things with my teammates.  

[LSHMEAB]

Just now, C.Biscuit97 said:

I know how bad it can be and I root for any person to survive it.  The stuff about the girlfriend is awful.  

 

Personally, as someone who didn’t have a dad in the nfl, it seems like some kids get a million more chances than other kids.  Lot of other kids, maybe with more talent than Pike, who didn’t have the opportunities he had growing up.  Things like if you mess up once, your life is over.  I guess that’s life though and I hope he really is over it.

 

also, sometimes a locker rom isn’t the best way to overcome an addiction.  I didn’t play in the  nfl but I’ve seen plenty of not great things with my teammates.  

His battle with addiction will never be solved OR HURT by a locker room. It is what it is and everyone has to go home at some point. I really wish him well in his life, but I'm trying to stick to football. I bet you he's a better kid than you'd think.

[C.Biscuit97]

Just now, LSHMEAB said:

His battle with addiction will never be solved OR HURT by a locker room. It is what it is and everyone has to go home at some point. I really wish him well in his life, but I'm trying to stick to football. I bet you he's a better kid than you'd think.

I hope my point didn’t come across as judging him to be a bad person.  It was more than some kids just get way more opportunities in life. 

 

I know how the addiction process can start.  I tore my Achilles and had surgery.  They gave me Hydros and said I could take up to 8 a day.  I took one and was out of mind.  I tried to rehab without taking any more because I could real easy how that could become a big problem.  

 

And i do remember pills were pretty easily handled out when you got hurt.  I know guys who could get you anything.  And when they couldn’t, you turn to something cheaper and easier to get.  

 

Theres all this border stuff when there are a ton a ton of things be made in this country that are killing people.  Yet, a lot of legal money is being made on it,  sorry, rant over. 

[Augie]

4 minutes ago, LSHMEAB said:

His battle with addiction will never be solved OR HURT by a locker room. It is what it is and everyone has to go home at some point. I really wish him well in his life, but I'm trying to stick to football. I bet you he's a better kid than you'd think.

 

I’d agree a locker room isn’t a horrible place to be, but some places are better than others. We have a young friend we met through my son. They met in a sober living house, and the kid is an amazing musician. It always seemed to be a bad fit for him to be playing at some of the bigger honky tonks on Broadway in Nashville, surrounded by drunks and a lot of drugs in the F&B/entertainment world. Was it him, or the environment, or the combination? Don’t know, but he recently needed......some time away, after several great years. Wishing him all the best. 

[GreggTX]

I hope he is able to overcome his addiction and become a great player for us. If not, I hope he can at least overcome his addiction.

[Saxum]

1 hour ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

I know how bad it can be and I root for any person to survive it.  The stuff about the girlfriend is awful.  

 

Personally, as someone who didn’t have a dad in the nfl, it seems like some kids get a million more chances than other kids.  

 

Really a million?  If you have trouble counting that high imagine getting a chance every day, every hour for 9.5 years.  If you need to exaggerate then your point is pretty weak.  I worked with someone with no dad in NFL who played for JEST working his way up from an open day camp to practice squad to 53 man roster to occasionally playing.  He said it is so hard to work at it so much and some just give up because they are not willing to work that hard.  After 2 years he stopped, fell back to his degree which was fortunately a real one and is now a primary security engineer for a bank.  Oh yea he had to work real hard at that get certifications, etc.

[Augie]

6 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 

Really a million?  If you have trouble counting that high imagine getting a chance every day, every hour for 9.5 years.  If you need to exaggerate then your point is pretty weak.  I worked with someone with no dad in NFL who played for JEST working his way up from an open day camp to practice squad to 53 man roster to occasionally playing.  He said it is so hard to work at it so much and some just give up because they are not willing to work that hard.  After 2 years he stopped, fell back to his degree which was fortunately a real one and is now a primary security engineer for a bank.  Oh yea he had to work real hard at that get certifications, etc.

 

Are you at all familiar with hyperbole? I’m thinking there is a disconnect here, and people are pushing different points thinking they are on the same page but disagreeing. Off the tracks is my guess. 

 

He’s rooting for anyone to survive, and I’m on board with that. Too many chances? There was a kid in our area who had 2 DUI’s. His parents paid attorneys a fortune and he kept his license. On his third DUI he killed a cop. You get no mercy there.

 

You want to protect your kid, and sometimes it’s just better off if they go to prison for a while. I’ve seen that at least three times with people close to us. But you only know in hindsight, so you just do the best you can and accept the outcome. What more can you do? 

[Saxum]

Yes I am familiar with hyperbole.  I was taught by my debate teacher that exaggeration is a tool of those unarmed in battle of wits.

 

When you exaggerate you are making your argument or point weaker.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 hours ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

I hope my point didn’t come across as judging him to be a bad person.  It was more than some kids just get way more opportunities in life. 

 

I know how the addiction process can start.  I tore my Achilles and had surgery.  They gave me Hydros and said I could take up to 8 a day.  I took one and was out of mind.  I tried to rehab without taking any more because I could real easy how that could become a big problem.  

 

And i do remember pills were pretty easily handled out when you got hurt.  I know guys who could get you anything.  And when they couldn’t, you turn to something cheaper and easier to get.  

 

Theres all this border stuff when there are a ton a ton of things be made in this country that are killing people.  Yet, a lot of legal money is being made on it,  sorry, rant over. 

 

This is a bit of a veer but relevant especially as I know some of us have teen or younger kids.

When I had my wisdoms out years ago, I used ice and tylenol.  Two years ago, kid used ice and tylenol.  No problem.  The oral surgeon gave her a prescription for vicodin and the staff really guilt tripped us about filling it.  Made us feel like we were horrid parents who wanted our kid to wake screaming in the middle of the night if we didn't get it filled.

 

Come to find out, teens who fill an opiate prescription after wisdom tooth surgery are at TRIPLE the risk for becoming opiate abusers.

 

PSA: if the oral surgeon tells you to fill the prescription, just don't, and say you didn't.  If the bags of frozen veggies on the jowls and tylenol every 6 hrs don't help and your kid does wake up screaming for a couple of nights, that's far better than being their gateway to addiction.  PS make soup from the veggies afterwards.

 

 

 

[WotAGuy]

8 hours ago, That's No Moon said:

Frankly, I'm skeptical of most people who clothe themselves in religion as a methodology to cleanse themselves.  This Pike kid started a ministry? Dude, get your own house in order.

 

You may not know that 12-Step recovery is based on finding a spiritual solution to addiction. The 12 steps are based on finding a Higher Power or “God” to give over control of one’s life and to get one’s “house in order”. 

 

Pike’s grandfather was a Baptist minister and Mark Pike was always one to lead prayer circles at midfield after games. It’s natural that Zeke Pike would gravitate toward a ministry as part of getting his house in order. 

 

Although there are many that give religion a bad name, there are many, many more that turn to spirituality/religion to cope with life. It doesn’t make them infallible, or make them impervious to having problem employees or addict children. 

 

Enabling addicts and troublemakers is, in my experience, a completely separate issue from following a religion or being spiritual. It can be an affliction in itself, codependency is one example. 

[YoloinOhio]

8 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

This is a bit of a veer but relevant especially as I know some of us have teen or younger kids.

When I had my wisdoms out years ago, I used ice and tylenol.  Two years ago, kid used ice and tylenol.  No problem.  The oral surgeon gave her a prescription for vicodin and the staff really guilt tripped us about filling it.  Made us feel like we were horrid parents who wanted our kid to wake screaming in the middle of the night if we didn't get it filled.

 

Come to find out, teens who fill an opiate prescription after wisdom tooth surgery are at TRIPLE the risk for becoming opiate abusers.

 

PSA: if the oral surgeon tells you to fill the prescription, just don't, and say you didn't.  If the bags of frozen veggies on the jowls and tylenol every 6 hrs don't help and your kid does wake up screaming for a couple of nights, that's far better than being their gateway to addiction.  PS make soup from the veggies afterwards.

 

 

 

Just had a meniscus repair and didn’t take the pain pills. Just felt like I could make it without them. Heard too many stories.  Docs really tried to make me feel stupid about it - it was really painful for 2-3 days but worth it. Kids don’t always have that kind of mechanism to discern short term vs long term effects. 

[WotAGuy]

18 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

Just had a meniscus repair and didn’t take the pain pills. Just felt like I could make it without them. Heard too many stories.  Docs really tried to make me feel stupid about it - it was really painful for 2-3 days but worth it. Kids don’t always have that kind of mechanism to discern short term vs long term effects. 

 

Doctors are clueless about drugs and effects. I broke my ankle a few years ago and my ortho told me I would need pain meds for a week afterward.  I told him I was in recovery for addiction to pain meds. He said “I think you’re really going to want them”.  Well, duh. 

[Augie]

32 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

This is a bit of a veer but relevant especially as I know some of us have teen or younger kids.

When I had my wisdoms out years ago, I used ice and tylenol.  Two years ago, kid used ice and tylenol.  No problem.  The oral surgeon gave her a prescription for vicodin and the staff really guilt tripped us about filling it.  Made us feel like we were horrid parents who wanted our kid to wake screaming in the middle of the night if we didn't get it filled.

 

Come to find out, teens who fill an opiate prescription after wisdom tooth surgery are at TRIPLE the risk for becoming opiate abusers.

 

PSA: if the oral surgeon tells you to fill the prescription, just don't, and say you didn't.  If the bags of frozen veggies on the jowls and tylenol every 6 hrs don't help and your kid does wake up screaming for a couple of nights, that's far better than being their gateway to addiction.  PS make soup from the veggies afterwards.

 

 

 

 

When I had my impacted wisdom teeth taken out shortly after being married, I took whatever they gave me. (In fact, the guy was arrested a few months later for molesting some girl while she was under, but I digress.) That night my wife had the Bunko group scheduled to come to our house. They were throwing dice and drinking wine downstairs. I was incapable of holding my arms up to keep ice on my face. It was a dilemma. My clever wife learned she could put ice in some panty hose and tie my head to the headboard. 

 

It worked for me, and the more wine they drank the more frequent the visits up to see me became. I thought they were laughing with me.......

[JerseyBills]

6 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

Same in Ohio

I've seen documentaries on Ohio's epidemic . It's really the whole country. I feel it is at a point where major reform should be coming from the Government. It's the leading cause of death for ppl I believe. Numbers are just astonishing

[Augie]

33 minutes ago, JerseyBills said:

I've seen documentaries on Ohio's epidemic . It's really the whole country. I feel it is at a point where major reform should be coming from the Government. It's the leading cause of death for ppl I believe. Numbers are just astonishing

 

I know Ohio is horrible! Especially SE Ohio I think, close to WV.

 

My son once told me about 85% of the OxyContin sold in the USA happened in Florida. I didn’t believe him, but Google backed him up. Rick Scott was the new Governor coming from Gazillions in the medical world. He wanted to “protect privacy”, so he allowed the pill mills to carry on. A friend of my boys died, and her grandfather was former counsel for Gov Scott. Scott called with condolences and asked what he could do, got an earful then had an underling announce the laws would change. Hopefully something good comes from the loss of Brandy Meshad. 

[Buffalo716]

2 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

This is a bit of a veer but relevant especially as I know some of us have teen or younger kids.

When I had my wisdoms out years ago, I used ice and tylenol.  Two years ago, kid used ice and tylenol.  No problem.  The oral surgeon gave her a prescription for vicodin and the staff really guilt tripped us about filling it.  Made us feel like we were horrid parents who wanted our kid to wake screaming in the middle of the night if we didn't get it filled.

 

Come to find out, teens who fill an opiate prescription after wisdom tooth surgery are at TRIPLE the risk for becoming opiate abusers.

 

PSA: if the oral surgeon tells you to fill the prescription, just don't, and say you didn't.  If the bags of frozen veggies on the jowls and tylenol every 6 hrs don't help and your kid does wake up screaming for a couple of nights, that's far better than being their gateway to addiction.  PS make soup from the veggies afterwards.

 

 

 

They gave me OxyContin when I got my wisdom teeth removed 

 

I never touched 1 thinking about how easy it could be to become hooked

[JerseyBills]

1 minute ago, Buffalo716 said:

They gave me OxyContin when I got my wisdom teeth removed 

 

I never touched 1 thinking about how easy it could be to become hooked

Same here. Was 22, first time I ever touched an opiate. One of my best friends would offer percs and xanax and I was always to scared!

 

6 months after my prescription ran out for my wisdom teeth , I had an oxycodone (10 mg Percocet) connection and that started my slippery slope. 

 

My mother always says she wishes I never got my wisdom teeth pulled 

[Augie]

3 minutes ago, JerseyBills said:

Same here. Was 22, first time I ever touched an opiate. One of my best friends would offer percs and xanax and I was always to scared!

 

6 months after my prescription ran out for my wisdom teeth , I had an oxycodone (10 mg Percocet) connection and that started my slippery slope. 

 

My mother always says she wishes I never got my wisdom teeth pulled 

 

My older son broke his ankle in basketball. His first introduction to painkillers. Things went on from there. When his younger brother tore his ACL and MCL in football, he had the surgery and insisted on getting off the pills ASAP! He had seen enough, I think. Some things you have to see up close to really understand. 

[T master]

God is good !! Prayers for his strength to continue down the path he has chosen which ever that may be he will be a inspiration to others through his testimony .