NFL executive compares combine to ‘slave auction’ at meeting: Report
Jack Birle
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The NFL‘s executive vice president of football operations, Troy Vincent, reportedly compared the league’s player combine to a “slave auction” at a league meeting Wednesday.
The comparison prompted backlash from several team owners who argued it was necessary to evaluate incoming players before the league’s draft, per a report from CBS Sports.
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Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones immediately pushed back on Vincent’s comparison, per the report, with Jones allegedly calling it a “privilege” to play in the NFL. The report claims a spokesperson for the Cowboys says Jones said it was an “opportunity” rather than a “privilege.”
Other owners also discussed how the information collected at the combine is essential to make well-informed decisions on players to draft, per the report.
The NFL combine typically takes place in late February and features college players who have declared for the NFL draft performing physical and mental tests in front of team officials. The event is invite only.
Players who are selected in the NFL draft or signed as a free agent after the combine receive contracts ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.
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The comments came from the same league meeting at which the league reportedly discussed changing the penalty for roughing the passer and hitting a defenseless player to an ejection rather than the current 15-yard penalty.