Bo Jackson will go down as one of the greatest running backs in football history and one of the greatest athletes of all time, having played in both the NFL and Major League Baseball. However, he was also one of the greatest "What Ifs" in NFL history due to his career-ending hip injury in 1991.
Jackson also could have been a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, but he felt disrespected by the team's then-owner, Hugh Culverhouse, and ultimately did not play for the Buccaneers, who drafted him No. 1 overall in 1986.
Jackson recently shared that story on Tuesday's "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast.
As Jackson tells it, about a month before the 1986 draft, Culverhouse flew Jackson on a private jet to visit with the team. This was during Jackson's senior baseball season at Auburn. This trip, however, was not cleared by the NCAA and SEC, as their rules prohibited players from being professionals in one sport and amateurs in another.
As a result, Jackson was ruled ineligible for his senior baseball season at Auburn. This greatly upset Jackson to the point where he refused to play for the Buccaneers, despite the team offering him a contract worth over $7 million.
"A man's integrity is worth everything," Jackson told Long. "And if you can't have that, then I don't want to associate with you, period."
Jackson reflected on being adamant about not playing for Tampa Bay or for Culverhouse. "How can I play for you when the first thing you did is lie to me, right? You screwed me over. You lied and you sabotaged what I believe in.
"And then I just told him, 'Look, you screwed me out of my senior year in baseball. I'm going to screw you out of your first-round pick.' They said, 'Well, you can't turn this in because we're going to offer you one of the biggest contracts.' I said, 'Draft me and find out.'"
Sure enough, Jackson stood his ground and did not sign with the Buccaneers, opting instead to sign a three-year contract worth $1.07 million with MLB's Kansas City Royals. He told Long his decision wasn't about the money, as he knew he could make plenty of that. He wasn't going to play for a team that disrespected and lied to him, as the Buccaneers did in his view, claiming the trip was cleared by the NCAA, which is was not.
Tampa Bay eventually forfeited the draft rights to Jackson just before the 1987 draft, allowing him to be drafted again. He was taken with the 183rd overall pick by the Los Angeles Raiders, who were willing to allow Jackson to play in both the NFL and MLB.
Jackson played four seasons for the Raiders before his hip injury in 1991 ended his football career. He played in 38 games and rushed for 2,782 yards and 16 touchdowns.
In eight baseball seasons (with the Royals, then the Chicago White Sox and California Angels), Jackson played in 694 games and posted a .250 batting average with a .309 on-base percentage and a .474 slugging percentage. Jackson hit 141 home runs and drove in 415 runs.
Jackson stuck to his morals, felt he could make back the money he gave up with Tampa Bay and his gamble paid off, at least until his hip injury. By 1992, he was out of football. By 1995, he was out of baseball. But he made his money and did it his way.
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