ProFootballTalks Mike Florio has suggested a new idea for top prospects to make even more money before ever stepping on an NFL field.
During a tweet sent out Thursday night, Florio said that no prospect should attend the draft unless they are paid by the league. He claims the NFL "brainwashed" a lot of these kids by calling it "an honor" to attend the event and says the league is exploiting them while they make millions from the draft.
"No prospect should attend the draft without an appearance fee, Florio said on Twitter via his PFT account. "Why be an unpaid prop in a TV show from which the NFL generates significant profit? Most of the kids are brainwashed by the idea it's an "honor." It's exploitation."
While there were some who agreed, many across NFL Twitter ripped Florio for his take, with one fan noting that the league already pays for everything else besides actually paying for their appearance.
Florio saw the response his comment was getting and said the "shut up and entertain us" crowd is out in full force tonight. He even followed up with a full-length article to further explain his reasoning.
The NFL Draft is one of the biggest days of any prospect's life and for the lucky few that are invited and accept the invitation, the exposure and moments from that event can lie on forever. Positive moments like prospects crying and showing emotions or even negative moments like when Aaron Rodgers' slide in the draft was captured live on camera have all lived on once the draft approaches. Heck, they are still talking about how the Colts dodged a bullet draft Ryan Leaf over Peyton Manning.
As Florio points out in his article, the NFL pays for everything, food, transportation, and every other expense that the players may have during their time at the draft location.
There are a lot more things to complain about other than a prospect getting paid for a one-night event that provides them with the exposure they may or may not have gotten in college and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
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Follow Jasper Jones on Twitter: @jonesj2342
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