Fanaticism will cost Adam Muema a football career and he doesn't even know it

Former San Diego State running back Adam Muema made himself the story for the wrong reasons at the NFL combine last month. Muema left the combine early because God told him to and then he fell off the grid for a couple of days. He popped up in Florida, after spending several nights in an airport while still wearing his NFL-issued combine gear.

More details surrounding Muema’s mission from God have spilled out through his Twitter account and in discussions with those close to him since his sudden departure from Indianapolis, but it’s not as though observers have been afforded any sense of clarity over what’s happening with the Aztecs fourth all-time leading rusher. Muema has become something of a punchline in social media circles. What, with his incessant spouting about a mysterious Twitter account belonging to a self-proclaimed Messiah by the name of @LORD_RAYEL, a belief that he will be selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of May’s NFL draft, controversial comments about same-sex marriage and AIDS, and a suggestion that there will not be an NFL season in 2014 unless we find a new planet earth. Muema is coming off as a lost soul of sorts.

Muema's tweets about the Seahawks and comparisons of himself to Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin indicate that the 21-year old still believes football is very much a part of his future, but his erratic behavior and disappearing act at the combine suggest another career choice may be in order.

Noticeably absent from Muema's comparison to Martin's totals at Boise State are the latter's impressive receiving and kick return totals. Due diligence is clearly not in Muema's wheelhouse at this time. 

Those close to Muema are concerned for his well being, like former Indianapolis Colts DB Jason David who planned on training with Muema.

“People can get over him being spiritual and on fight for God, but when you start to quit or remove yourself from places you’re supposed to be, that’s when all the red flags pop up. The scouts couldn’t believe it. They were asking me if I knew what was going on.”

“I’m not really concerned from a safety position, but more the mental ... I don’t know, maybe that goes hand in hand,” David said. “I am a little concerned that he hasn’t reached out to anybody in the circle. I just want to make sure that he knows that there’s people who genuinely care about him.”

The trouble with Muema is that his behavior more closely resembles fanaticism than simple spirituality. Muema's insistence that he's a first round calibre running back and comparable to an established NFL regular like Martin, while failing to acknowledge he walked out on his shot at showcasing his abilities are the type of grandiose assertions that can double as a defense mechanism for depression and/or other mental illness.  

Muema is no longer just a football story. This isn't an attempt to play amateur physician, but here's hoping Muema ditches dreams of joining the Super Bowl champion Seahawks and instead seeks a support network that can ensure he'll be a healthy young man.