The NFL is aiming to soften the famously invasive draft process for prospects, according to a league memo.
The league has warned its 32 club teams that they could face punishment, including the docking of draft picks, if their representatives are found to have conducted themselves unprofessionally while speaking with NFL hopefuls.
Offending teams will face a minimum fine of $150,000 and the forfeiture of draft picks from Rounds 1-4 for “disrespectful, inappropriate, or unprofessional” conduct with draft prospects, according to the memo, which was obtained by the Associated Press.
“We aim for dignity, respect and professionalism,” league executive Troy Vincent told the AP. “It’s that simple.”
As part of the new initiative, the league will also be abandoning the controversial Wonderlic Test, which has long been a fixture of the Scouting Combine process.
Critics of the test have long said it had no relationship to on-field performance; that it was racially biased; and that poor results were often leaked in the media to damage a player's draft stock.
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In other minor tweaks, several positional workouts and drills have been modified, with the aim of testing skills most relevant to the position.
The memo marks the first time the league has threatened teams with punishment, according to the Associated Press, but for several years it has reminded teams prior to the Combine to conduct themselves professionally at risk of violating anti-discrimination hiring laws.
The move comes after years of mounting claims from players about violations of their privacy, including allegations of increasingly bizarre and invasive questions about sexual orientation, family background, and recreational drug use.
Former Cowboys star Dez Bryant and former WFT running back Derrius Guice both said they were asked if their mothers were prostitutes during the Combine process. Guice and Bengals cornerback Eli Apple both said they were asked about their sexual preference.
Former longtime tight end Benjamin Watson likened one interview to an "interrogation."
Per AP:
“I can remember sitting in a dark room with a huge spotlight,” Watson told the AP last year. “There’s a seat there like you’re being interrogated for a crime and all the front-office staff is in the back in the shadows and you can’t see them. The guy grabbed my wrist and he’s like: ‘I can feel your pulse, so I know if you’re lying to me. Have you ever smoked marijuana?’ I said: ‘No.’ I really hadn’t. I’ve never smoked. He said: ‘I think you’re lying. I can feel your pulse. Are you lying to us?’ I said: ‘No, I’m not.’
“So for a minute, I thought I actually did smoke marijuana and maybe I need to confess to a crime that I didn’t commit. But these sorts of tactics that are happening at the combine and that are not being monitored definitely need to be done away with.”
Vincent said it was time to start treating the league's future stars with more respect.
“These student-athletes should be celebrated, not humiliated,” he said.
This year's Combine was set for March 1-7, in Indianapolis. The venue for 2023 and 2024 was unclear, with several cities bidding to host the next two events.
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