Football was probably the last thing on Mike Goodson’s mind as he sat inebriated in the passenger seat of an SUV that was stopped in the left lane of Route 80 in New Jersey after 3 a.m. on May 17 and state police were getting ready to haul him and the driver to jail on drug and gun charges.
But as the remnants of that night’s bender wore off and Goodson began to regain clarity, that’s when the frightening possibilities began flooding through his mind.
Oh, God, what have I done with my career?
Two months earlier, Goodson had signed a three-year, $6.9 million contract with the Jets, his third team in less than five NFL seasons.
So the arrest was not exactly the good beginning to the fresh start he was seeking.
That night — which was followed by a four-game NFL suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, during which he was not allowed to practice with the team — probably seems like a lifetime ago to Goodson, who is eligible to play his first game as a Jet on Monday night in Atlanta.
In the aftermath of the arrest, it was Goodson who desperately needed the Jets, who many expected would quickly release him. But general manager John Idzik and head coach Rex Ryan surprisingly quietly stuck with him.
Now it is Idzik and Ryan who need Goodson, a big-play running back with good receiving skills, to help their struggling offense that likely will go to Atlanta without its two starting receivers, Santonio Holmes (hamstring) and Stephen Hill (concussion), and its second-best running back, Chris Ivory (hamstring).
Now, more than four months removed from that regrettable, nomadic night on Route 80, Goodson recalled the first meeting he had with the Jets brass after his arrest.
“I was nervous,” he told The Post on Thursday. “They didn’t say everything was OK, because everything wasn’t OK. But they gave me the reality of the situation.
“John Idzik has had my back throughout this whole thing,’’ Goodson said. “Whenever I needed to talk to someone or needed any advice I would go to him. He was almost like a big brother or father figure to me. Those guys gave me a new beginning.
“Those guys looked out for me, those guys stuck their necks out for me and I felt like, ‘Whoa, what are you going to do to pay them back for showing their faith?’
“It could have been a situation where I was just cut or let go. Those guys showed that they have faith in me.’’
Goodson said he’s “definitely’’ playing Monday night, but he has no idea many carries he might get after missing all of training camp and not having taken an opposing hit since last season. But he called his motivation to help the team, “crazy, the feeling I have.
“I can’t wait to get out there Monday night, not only for [Idzik and Ryan], but for the guys in this locker room who went through a whole training camp that I didn’t go through,’’ he said. “I’m the hungriest I’ve been in my whole career. I have to prove to these guys what I came here to do, what I can do.’’
Idzik declined to be interviewed, but Ryan shed light on why the Jets stuck with Goodson.
“Everybody makes mistakes. We don’t turn our back on players,” Ryan said.
“He’s not the first and won’t be the last that has a problem. Please, I’ve made a ton of mistakes in my life and if I wasn’t given a second opportunity or a third or whatever there’s no telling what I would be doing now. I’m certainly pulling for the young man. The challenge is for him. It’s on his plate. He’s going to sink or swim based on himself.’’
That May 17 incident on Route 80 is not the only stain on Goodson’s off-the-field past, which also includes lawsuits involving child support, failure to pay his rent and skipping car payments.
But, on May 17, it looked bad for Goodson, who said the most powerful lesson he took away was, “being more accountable.’’ Now let’s see how good he can make this story, beginning Monday night in Atlanta.
“He’s been through a lot since he’s been here,’’ guard Willie Colon said. “[The Jets] gave him a chance to change his own stars. I think he’s humbled and excited and ready to go. I’m rooting for him all the way. I don’t think that once incident in your life should define somebody. His ability to change that is important.’’