The Arizona Cardinals made an investment in Robert Nkemdiche on Thursday night, and they may ask him to make some uncomfortable changes in order to get the most out of their investment. That could include asking Nkemdiche to distance himself from his troubled brother, Denzel.
Robert Nkemdiche arrived at Ole Miss in 2013 as the No. 1 player nationally in his recruiting class. He played well his first two seasons and emerged as an All-American last season. The biggest reason he chose Ole Miss was to play with Denzel, who was one of the top players on Ole Miss’ defense. But Denzel developed a reputation for being a huge partier during his time in Oxford. Denzel reportedly had a heavy involvement with drugs that led to his hospitalization last season.
Some of that behavior appeared to rub off on Robert, who infamously jumped out of a hotel room in December when he was drunk.
The Cardinals selected Robert at No. 29 overall and apparently feel comfortable with his character. ESPN’s Suzy Kolber says she spoke with Cardinals GM Steve Keim, who described Nkemdiche as a people pleaser who surrounds himself with the wrong people.
Kolber further reported that it would not be unreasonable for the Cardinals to ask Robert to distance himself from Denzel. In fact, Robert says he has already taken steps to get rid of his off-field distractions.
“I know what distraction is off the field and I’ve separated myself from what I need to separate myself from,” Nkemdiche told Kolber. “And I know what that is, and that’s something you just have to look inside the mirror and figure out for yourself. I’ve stepped away from things that can hinder me in the future.”
