CHARACTER AND THE NFL
ESPN
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has made character a priority. Current players have been disciplined strongly for running afoul of the law. Prospective players have seen their dreams deferred, even dashed with a single misstep -- throwing an ill-advised punch, smoking a joint, driving while drunk.
"The process starts with scouts, and it escalates as we get closer to the draft," Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "You start right there with the character issues, if there are background problems and those kinds of things. Adopting a zero tolerance policy, you're better off drafting guys that don't have any background issues, and educating them.
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NFL scouts jokingly have referred to the third round as the "felony" round. They meant it was a round for players with first- or second-round ability who had character problems holding them down.
"Now the felony round is probably on the second day," one AFC scout said. "There's too much risk with these guys. You can't afford to blow premium picks on character risks. Not with the new rules."
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Factors NFL teams used in defining overall character include maturity, work ethic, intelligence, citizenship, coachability, responsibility, trustworthiness, accountability, leadership and overall intangibles.
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As we head down the backstretch to the NFL draft, every aspect of every potential first-round player continues to be researched by each NFL franchise. After all, they are about to sink millions of dollars into what is essentially a kid. With the Pac Man Joneses and Ryan Leafs of the world exhibiting a variety of negative character issues, teams are paying more attention than ever to background checks.
“Teams are trying to get players now that are not going to be issues off the field.”
ESPN'S MEL KIPER JR.
