One of the big quarterbacks of Las Vegas Raiders is Gardner Minshew who preferred to carry on his college football after 2016. In October 2019, a Barstool show called “Pardon My Take” aired an episode that contained a plan he drew up in 2016 that was reckless. Minshew was selected in the NFL draft in 2019 to represent Jacksonville Jaguars and played with the team for two seasons in which he created the record for rookie passing touchdowns for the franchise.
Cooper went to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he played mostly backup for two seasons. Then he became a starting member with the Indianapolis Colts during 2023. Despite setting personal records for his career in the season, he avoided the Pro Bowl. He was with the Raiders the following year and started.
What efforts were made by Gardner Minshew in order to salvage the remaining college football season.
Third-string quarterback Gardner Minshew attempted to file a last year of college eligibility for a medical redshirt. Moving to East Carolina, there were already two quarterbacks taking snaps for the Pirates: seniors. Minshew’s animation to redshirt so as to gain his three-year eligibility besides sitting out for a medical year was a hammer and a bottle of Jack Daniels. Minshew, who was injured enough to allow him to play, watched his redshirt season slipping away them came up with one of the more bizarre plans in the history of sports: he tried to reinjure himself so badly to get a redshirt without playing a whole season.
Minshew says, “I tried it, and as I recall that night, went home, got a bottle of Jack Daniels and a hammer.” Minshew recalled an incident in which he attempted to bend a hammer on his hand and ended up developing a bruised and swollen hand. Of the three goes, he was unable to go further with it, though he tried to destroy the spell in him with whiskey. Minshew admitted saying, ‘I knew it wasn’t broken.’ For the third time, one more pull, one more three and that was all I could take.”
Minshew had a swollen hand after a car door hit it and played seven games that year, then took over as the starting quarterback the next season. He moved to Washington State and drew the attention of the NFL teams. In 2019, he signed with the NFL team, Jacksonville jaguars as a sixth round draft pick, and has changed teams to the current Las Vegas Raiders.
He had all the earmarks of a man who will do everything to extremes so as to get what he wanted – to play football. Minshew recounted his fanaticism with laughter saying ‘what would you do more for football?’ Cause I will do the damn near for it.”
