No one has been shy in ridiculing the NFL for their very questionable responses to various assault and abuse cases over the last few weeks, but The Onion took it one step the further.
The 100 percent satirical website published a short post on Tuesday, one day before the NFL Combine is set to begin, that said the league will be including a new drill in this year’s event:
Although the headline is pretty self-explanatory, the brief article also included the following:
Explaining that the new exercise will help teams more accurately and comprehensively assess draft prospects, NFL representatives confirmed Tuesday that the newest scouting combine drill simply places college players in a small room alone with a woman. “Beginning this year, we’ve begun testing players’ abilities by sitting them down at a table across from a woman between the ages of 20 and 30 years old,” said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, adding that coaches and scouts carefully evaluate performances during the three-minute timed drill while seated behind a one-way mirror in the examination room. “So far, there haven’t been any real standouts, and we’ve actually had a number of guys who we’ve had to pull from the exercise after just 10 or 15 seconds.
This is easily one of the most challenging tests of the week for these young athletes.” Reached for comment, several players privately told reporters that they have not spent any time preparing for the drill, as it is expected to have a very minimal effect on their draft stock.
It is clearly a knock against the league and does not appear to be making light of domestic violence but it will certainly draw the ire of many advocacy groups that believe it is an inappropriate approach to a very serious issue.
About Jason Smith