Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston: Lamar Jackson is ‘an overgrown kid in an adult’s body’

With the start of the NFL playoffs only a few weeks away, it’s looking increasingly likely that Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens will be on the outside looking in.

And in examining the current relationship between the 2-time NFL MVP and his team, the Baltimore Sun‘s Mike Preston didn’t mince words, painting the portrait of a talented player who needs to examine his work ethic.

In a column titled “Ravens, Lamar Jackson are at a crossroads,” Preston made multiple claims regarding the star quarterback’s off-field habits, specifically, alluding alluding to him staying up late playing video games and falling asleep in team meetings. He also accused the Ravens of accommodating the 28-year-old’s behavior, including by holding practices later in the day.

“The breakdown of an NFL player’s body is natural, but Jackson could help himself. He doesn’t need to be up late at night playing video games or falling asleep in team meetings,” he wrote after noting the quarterback’s multiple injuries this season. “He needs to train more around The Castle instead of only attending mandatory minicamps, where he disappears after one day.

“A major problem, a lot of it on the Ravens, is that there are team rules and then there are rules for Jackson. That’s why Baltimore practices in the heat of the afternoon instead of in the morning.”

Preston added: “Once the Ravens become critical of Jackson, he becomes more withdrawn. It’s a shame because Jackson isn’t a mean-spirited person, just an overgrown kid in an adult’s body.”

It didn’t take long for Preston’s commentary to make their way to social media, where many were quick to react to the blunt assessment of Jackson’s behavior. That included Fox Sports’ Nick Wright, who said he appreciated the column and indicated that it backs up his own commentary regarding the Ravens’ relationship with the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner in recent years.

Assuming Preston’s information is correct — and at this point, there’s no reason to believe it’s not — it’s somewhat jarring to see a columnist call attention to such matters for a player he’s still actively covering. While it’s common for columnists to air dirty laundry once a player or coach is out of town — the “now they tell us” columns, as The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis has termed them — media members are typically more careful about what they share about subjects they still need to maintain relationships with.

That clearly wasn’t the case here, although it’s also worth pointing out that Preston’s column wasn’t mean-spirited or sensational in its nature. Rather, it was an uncommonly honest and seemingly well-sourced look behind the scenes at the preparation habits of one of the NFL’s biggest stars, which stands out in today’s media landscape in more ways than one.