NFL owners get defensive after scouting combine is compared to ‘slave auction’ by league exec Troy Vincent

Irving, TX — Multiple NFL team owners were at a league meeting Wednesday when Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, said the NFL’s scouting combine would feature a “slave auction.” It was uncomfortable, multiple people in the room told CBS Sports.

Vincent spoke with owners Wednesday morning to announce changes to the Combine that include reducing the tedious medical evaluation process and scrutinizing the questions the team asks draft prospects. has been criticized for what some consider the method of obtaining information about players to be inhuman.

“It just feels like the whole experience talking to the players and it could be a lot better in that particular aspect,” Vincent told media later in the day. I think there was a good discussion of what it could look like and where it could be, bearing in mind that it was a player’s first experience in the league and that experience should have dignity. .

“It’s a great opportunity for young men, but there has to be some form of dignity and dignity and a level of respect as they go through the process. That was the whole theme of our combine. [discussion.]”

Sources at the owners meeting have revealed details of what Vincent said among the team owners. This included references to slave auctions. At the conference, Vincent’s comments elicited an immediate reaction. Atlanta Falcons According to sources, the owner Arthur Blank who stood up and recorded the violation. The idea that Blank, who has a strong track record on diversity and inclusion during his 20 years in the NFL, is participating in or helping to organize an event that could be viewed as racist. I was outraged.

cowboys Owner Jerry Jones followed Blank on the mic. Sources said Jones spoke of the “privilege” of playing in the NFL. ‘s mentioned even less.

Steelers According to sources, owner Art Rooney II noted that the team needs the information it needs at the combine to make informed decisions. Rooney, chairman of the NFL’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, said: Bringing Coach and Executive Diversity Programs to These Conferencesdeclined to comment on the transcript of the meeting.

So bill Owner Terry Pegula used the microphone to confuse many in the room. It seemed to play the role of the devil’s advocate, which is generally what people want to see.

He then tried to bridge the gap between soccer and women’s tennis, his daughter Jessica’s sport, which ranks third in the world. Bills’ owner appeared to lament the sometimes skimpy outfits he said were encouraged to be worn by female tennis players. , which I interpreted to mean that all sports have some degree of exploitation. Another source simply called it “inconsistent.” Shortly after Pegula’s confusing comment, the conversation ended.

The bonding process was discussed and changed over time, so the conversation wasn’t entirely new. A former Pro Bowler as a player, Vincent has been with the NFL since 2014 as a leader in football operations, tackling topics like kneeling during the national anthem and mentoring employment discrepancies. Words he used in an interview with The Rootthe “Bridge Builder” within the League Office.

In recent years, the entire pre-draft process has been overhauled, so Vincent took up the topic of the combine. The league no longer publishes the Wonderlic test, an aptitude test that has been criticized for its bias and relevance.Prior to that, the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl were discontinued. Public measurements and weighing.

The combine is important to NFL teams for medical information and player interviews. The league has already fine-tuned the schedule for next year’s Combine. CBS Sports first reported Two weeks ago, after consulting with the players and discussing future better practices with their representatives,

“The biggest thing that the players have raised over time is, ‘I came in, I’m excited about this, I’m going to have to go get additional medical tests.’ or five hours in an MRI machine. You have to have multiple meetings for the same type of injury. Because they have to get up at 1:00 in the morning, come back at 5:00, and then perform on the field.”

“I think all of that has led to reasons why we want the players coming to Japan to have a better experience so that they can perform at their best. There is, but they have to take it in a proper and professional way. ”

Health checks can take a full day for a player. Throughout the day, they go to different labs and hospitals for different position groups and are checked by doctors from many teams.Hundreds of scans of the player and MRIs of him are taken by doctors over the course of his week.

The league doesn’t seem to find all the scans, stabbings and pokes it needs. Chief physician Allen Sills injured his knee months before the combine and may have already completed a post-surgery MRI. He gave the example of a college student. Rather than having the player get another MRI in Indianapolis, Sills said a doctor could get that MRI.

Combine is also known for the questions the team asks prospects.They go from weird and bizarre to job interview inappropriate and technically illegal. Eli Apple said in 2016 The team asked him if he liked men.Former NFL defensive end Obum Gwacham said in 2015 The team asked him when he lost his virginity. Perhaps the most infamous composite interview question came in 2010 when his then-GM of the Dolphins, Jeff Ireland, asked Dez Bryant if his mother was a prostitute. Ireland later apologized to Bryant.

According to sources, Vincent told a story during an ownership meeting about an unnamed black player who was asked by an unnamed team to rap during an interview. It was unclear if the player had a music or rap background, but at least it means the white player wasn’t asked that question.

“When you talk [players] While going through the draft,” said Vincent. And those men are open and will share something with you from time to time and you’ll be scratching your head. And I would say these are things that we can fix and tune to improve the overall experience for our prospects. ”