When Jermain Petty finished his illustrious Arkansas football career after the 2001 season, he still remembers many of the heartbreaks. He’s just glad social media was still in its infant stages.
Now, the former first-team All-American linebacker can feel the pain of the current players, who have been receiving horrid backlash on public forums since Saturday’s 38-31 loss to BYU.
“If we were to lose a game, I didn’t look at it as all bad,” he said. “I just looked at it like it was time to go back to work. Just go get back on track, because winning cures everything. And as long as you’re winning, there’s nobody complaining. When you lose, everybody’s got something to say. As a former player, it just meant that it was time to go back and hit the grindstone.”
The 45-year-old Petty, who was the centerpiece of the Razorbacks’ defense in the early 2000s, leading the SEC with 140 tackles in 2001, encourages the current players he encounters, to tune out all the outside noise and just focus on the next game at hand.
That next game happens to be Saturday night at LSU, inside one of the rowdiest environments in college football. Petty was on Head Coach Houston Nutt’s team that defeated LSU, 14-3, in Little Rock in 2000, as well as the team that suffered a heart-breaking 41-38 loss in Baton Rouge a year later. So, he understands the magnitude.
Granted, the Razorbacks made several self-inflicted mistakes against the Cougars Saturday, including being penalized 14 times, many in crucial situations. But those things can be improved upon. They were also playing without their first-team All-SEC running back, Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, who is a huge piece to the puzzle.
Petty said that as long as the players continue to believe in the program and believe in themselves, things will improve.
“As a player, you just can’t buy into what you are reading on social media – you can’t let that doubt creep in, and start doubting yourself as a player,” he said. “There is a reason these kids are here on scholarship. Usually, it just comes down to one of two things. Either, ‘I’ve got to study my playbook more,’ or ‘I’ve got to study my opponent more.’ Always look for a way to find any advantage.”
During Petty’s playing days, such viral fans were referred to as “slappies.”
“They slap you on the back when you are winning, but then when things aren’t going like they are supposed to be, they are the first ones to jump off the bandwagon. And that’s just my personal opinion and experience.
“You just have to keep believing within the program, because it’s only the people inside that football building that knows what’s really going on.”
On top of being a personal trainer for many of the area’s top high school athletes, Petty now spends his time as an assistant football coach at Greenland High School, as well as being a member of the Greenland City Council. Whether on the football field, or off it, he continues to be a progressive leader, leading by example.
He still visits the Arkansas football facility when time permits, always offering encouragement to the current Hogs.
“I just try to help them, as a former player, encouraging them to buy into the system and give it everything that you’ve got, and things will work out for you, one way or the other.”
During his senior season, Petty was twice named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week, in consecutive SEC games against Mississippi State and Ole Miss. He famously ended the 2001 game against the Rebels in Oxford, making the game-saving stop in the seventh overtime – his 20th tackle of the night – as Arkansas won the longest game in college football history, 58-56.
He offers no prediction as to how the remainder of this Razorbacks season will play out, but is quick to point out that one loss does not define an entire season.
“It’s a long season, so don’t just take it as a loss – take it as a lesson,” he said. “What do we need to do as a team to get better and overcome this? Just continuing to believe in one another.
“And remember that old saying, ‘When you point a finger, you’ve got three pointed right back at you.”