For most kids in college, the years spent on campus are an opportunity to experiment, explore and gain some independence from the watchful eye of mom and dad. For highly touted college football prospect Keyshawn Johnson Jr., son of the NFL legend with the same name, even going halfway across the country to Nebraska wasn’t far enough away to escape punishment from his famous dad. 

According to the New York Post, Keyshawn has pulled Jr. from the University of Nebraska’s Division I football program after marijuana was found in Jr.’s dorm room last month. The high school standout will now return home to California where he is expected to play football at a junior college while proving to his father he’s matured enough to return to college football’s center stage.

And while most of us probably don’t have a problem with a college kid getting blazed with his new roommates after a long day of pre-season practice, the NCAA and Keyshawn Sr. see things a little bit differently.

“One thing you will not do as my son is you will not embarrass Nebraska, you will not embarrass (head football coach) Mike Riley, and you will not embarrass this family,” Johnson  told the Omaha World-Herald in the immediate aftermath of his son’s transfer. “If you mature and you’re ready to resume your football career and academic goals, then Nebraska will be ready to embrace you.”

Keyshawn Jr. has not commented in any depth to the public since the incident, but he has posted veiled messages on Twitter about his plans to return to Nebraska. As for the decision to leave in the first place, Keyshawn Sr. isn’t shy about his continued role in his son’s life.

 

 

“I never asked him,” Johnson said. “At the end of the day, I don’t think that decision was in his hands. He squandered that decision. He still wants to play football, and he still wants to play for Nebraska. But if you don’t do the things you’re supposed to do, under the guidelines of me, it’s not going to happen.” 

Sounds a little strict for a kid who most scout’s foresee as a future NFL draft pick, but as Keyshawn Sr. will tell you, it’s all part of the business.

“You’ve watched — on Instagram, on Facebook, on Twitter — everything’s a big party. You just want to get to college to party, but you don’t understand: You’re playing college football. It’s a business. And it’s a serious business. If you want to become successful — make it to the NFL — you’ve got to embrace it. You’ve got to own it. You don’t make it to the next level by cruising. There’s no cruise control.”

With the skill Jr. has and the support he has behind him, we’ll be surprised if the wide-out doesn’t return to Nebraska in the years to come. But a bit of advice for the chosen son before he makes the trip back to frat row – make your social media profiles private if you’re gonna toke up again. Because no matter what the NCAA or your father say, we won’t judge you for taking part in some plant-based pain relief.