Why Rich Campbell, the Packers’ 1981 First-Round Pick, Is Glad He’s a Draft Bust

Campbell was picked in the first round of the 1981 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers, but he never got the support he needed to thrive at the next level and eventually flamed out. Now a newspaper columnist, Campbell realizes how lucky he is.

Most newspaper columnists would call Rich Campbell an NFL draft bust. The problem for Campbell that he is a newspaper columnist.

You might wonder how a man goes from the No. 6 overall pick in the 1981 draft to writing columns and editorials. It’s simple, really. First you spend four years on the bench, then you join the ministry, and then you move on to journalism.

And somewhere in there, you figure out who you are.

A quarterback’s job is to throw passes…