Both of Nick Fairley's off-field incidents this offseason occurred in Mobile, Alabama, while he was away from the Detroit Lions. As a result, the Lions put together a plan for him to stay out of trouble while away from the team before training camp, and it likely includes spending more time in Michigan than in his hometown of Mobile.
A common piece of advice former players tell rookies when they enter the NFL is to move on from some people in life who may be a negative influence, and it seems like that advice could have especially been beneficial for Fairley. He undoubtedly was told something along those lines while at the rookie symposium last week (he got special permission to attend since he's in his second year), and he does seem to be following it. Here's what he recently told WXYZ:
"Basically, I'm where I want to be. I'm making smarter decisions now. I'm bettering myself," Fairley said Thursday at HYPE Athletics in Dearborn Heights. [...]
"I'm surrounding myself with better people, guys on the team who have my best interests at heart. I'm trying to put the incidents behind me and move forward."
Fairley is also trying to rebuild his image going forward, hence the visit to HYPE Athletics to speak to a group of children. He is also going to host a kickball tournament at HYPE on Saturday. He said that "writing a check doesn't take time," which is why he came out to interact with the kids at HYPE.
Obviously the only way for Fairley to show he has truly learned from his mistakes is to actually stay out of trouble, but it's a good sign that he is at least recognizing the need to surround himself with people who will serve as a positive influence and not bring him down.
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