HE sat in anonymity eating his chicken breast and tabouli salad as the bustle of the lunch-hour patrons passed him by at the Coliseum Deli, a place where the walls are adorned with autographed jerseys and pictures from Jets and Islanders who frequent the place.
Once, not long ago, a personally autographed picture of himself hung from the wall above the beverage coolers, along with Rob Moore, Jeff Lageman and other star Jet players. Where that photo is now is unknown. Could be in a basement sitting in a drawer somewhere; maybe it’s long been thrown out with the trash.
No disrespect to Johnny Mitchell. It’s just that he hasn’t played football for a few years, hasn’t caught a pass as a Jet or even worn a green uniform since 1995. So what customer would be impressed by his autograph on display?
“I like it this way,” Mitchell, now 28 years old, was saying with a wry smile about his New York anonymity this time around. “The last time I was here it wasn’t fun at all.”
The last time Mitchell was here he was a talented wunderkind with all the maturity, consistency and staying power of a lit match.
Long before coming close to realizing his enormous potential, Mitchell burned out and was forgotten so quickly you might never have known he was even here despite being a ballyhooed first-round draft pick with such raw ability he was supposed to shatter tight-end receiving records.
Mitchell was drafted by the late Dick Steinberg out of Nebraska and brought to New York in 1992 at the age of 20. Problem was, Mitchell seemed to be 20 going on 16 and the flood of attention and immense expectations invaded his mind and took control of it.
The Jets were losing, Mitchell wasn’t doing enough to fulfill his potential and he talked and talked, always speaking his mind, bless his heart, but nonetheless constantly inserting cleat in mouth.
By ’95, just four years and a million unfulfilled expectations into his promising career, Mitchell and the Jets parted ways. He flirted with the Dolphins early in ’96 but never ended up playing and then had a cup of latte with the Cowboys late in ’96, caught one pass and wasn’t asked back in ’97.
So ended the career of Johnny Mitchell … or so we thought.
Even though Bill Parcells made an innocuous announcement the day after the Jets lost the AFC Championship game in Denver that Mitchell was attempting a comeback with the team, who was really paying that much attention?
After all, the smoke from the devastating end to the season hadn’t even begun to dissipate. And a comeback by the once wayward Mitchell, though interesting, was merely a minor note the day after such a compelling season ended in such drama and disappointment.
So, many Jet fans might be surprised to know that same Johnny Mitchell who once disappointed back is working diligently behind the closed doors of the Weeb Ewbank Hall weight room in an effort to make up for lost time.
If this experiment comes to fruition, Mitchell could be the prolific pass-catching tight end Parcells has been seeking to make the Jet offense even more difficult to defend.
Kyle Brady, a first-round-draft-pick disappointment in his own right as a Jet, is gone, having signed with Jacksonville as a free agent. That leaves Mitchell and veteran Eric Green as the two primary pass-catching Jet tight ends. Parcells has big plans for both.
Look for Mitchell to be used off the line of scrimmage and in motion as a cross between a tight end and wideout to utilize his receiving skills. If you can believe it, look for Mitchell to be a major factor in the Jets’ offense in ’99.
The irony is in the anonymity of his entrance this time compared to the over-hyped start to his career.
The change in the man who was ridiculed by fans and media for being so immature has come in the intrigue of his travelled paths through Costa Rica and Brazil and genuine sadness that has been a part of his life since he left football.
“You have to learn sometimes the hard way,” Mitchell was saying. “I had to go through what I went through to understand where I am right now.”
First, Mitchell went through the rejection of not being wanted as a football player after his fizzled experience with the Jets and Dallas left teams questioning his desire to play.
“That’s the worst thing a coach can hear,” Mitchell said. “They’d rather hear that you do drugs, cocaine than you’re a guy doesn’t want to play.”
Then, in May of 1996, Mitchell and his girlfriend conceived a daughter (Gabriella) who was born with a rare genetic disorder called CDLS (Cornelia Delange Syndrome), a disease that causes deformity, mental retardation, weak organs and stunted growth.
“Seeing her born the way she was it really messed my head up, because if you look at me 5, 6 percent body fat, bench 350 pounds, run a 4.45 40 and you see your child born with this genetic deficiency, you say to yourself, ‘How can this happen?'” Mitchell said. “It blew my mind. It’s a humbling sight. That’s why you’re looking at a whole different man now.
“That was really where my heart went. Seeing her in and out of the hospital all the time really brought me closer to reality that life is very short.”
The doctors told Mitchell that Gabriella wouldn’t live longer than 30 days, yet she’ll be 3 years old on May 31.
“There are things that have dramatically affected Johnny and today he is a completely different person than he was as a Jet,” Mitchell’s agent, Mitch Frankel said. “He has matured enormously. His view of the world and his appreciation of things is totally different.”
That’s why Mitchell, along with Frankel, drafted a letter to Parcells last season, explained all the things he believes he did wrong along the way, what he’s been doing since he left the game and why he wants to return. The Jets responded, invited Mitchell back with a two-year incentive-laden contract.
This, according to Mitchell, was the message he got from Parcells upon his return:
“Look, I never met you before. I don’t know you. I heard things about you. I coached against you and I know you’re very talented. I don’t care what your past has been. We have a whole different attitude here, a whole new system. We had a cleansing here, and your talent can help us in what we’re trying to get accomplished. You can help us make it to the next level and if you’re willing to work hard because we work hard here I can assure you that I’ll give you a fair opportunity like everyone else and we’ll see what happens from there.”
Mitchell, promising his resolve and commitment is light years from what it was before, didn’t flinch. Let the work begin, he said.
“I realized no matter how much money you have, if you’re not happy with your life it doesn’t mean anything,” Mitchell was saying now. “You can have the world but if you have an empty heart it doesn’t mean anything. I had saved my money, I was still in millionaire status and I wasn’t happy at all. I was very, very uneasy at night.”
Mitchell said he wanted back with the Jets “because I felt like what I made wrong here I could make right given a second chance.”
“I want to be a part of something special, and I think I have an opportunity to do it all,” Mitchell said. “I’m well rested now. I’m healthy and I’m excited. And for every team that ever thought that I would be a problem to their organization, I will be a problem to them when we face them.”
Mitchell’s face then creased into that wry smile again.
“This is going to work,” he said.