Regarding character, if a player is rumored to have done something bad and it turns out not to be true, but it caused the player to drop out of the top 10. Should that player be able to sue a team, GM or scout for progressing that rumor, since it has cost them money and defamed their character. The Dez Bryant situation bothered me, he probably has done some bad things and we know he has, but the fact that the Dolphins GM asked him in his interview if his mother was a prostitute, kinda crosses the line imo. His mother has nothing to do with him catching footballs and it doesnt really matter, but the rumor turned out to be untrue. Samething with Clausen, rumors about him not being a leader, well just because people on the team dont like you, why does that spill over in his NFL interview, considering the fact that he really had a piss poor coach. Let me know what you guys think about the question they asked him and the first question I asked.
You know, i have been thinking about this one since the word came out yesterday. I do alot of hiring and firing, and hold interviews with people everyday. If i ever asked someone that question i would be violating all sorts of labor laws. Why... in this day and age, when we know the NFL is a business, can they get away with violating labor laws? I would seriously be out on my ass, and probably sued also for discrimination, among other things. Good Question MM, i don't know why but it does seem that the NFL gets a pass or is allowed to use it's own justice outside normal labor laws.
The answer to your question in my opinion is No. They have the right to draft who they want when they want for whatever reason they want. The odd thing about this question is the GM already knew the answer because they had a PI investigate Dez and his family a while back. I am not saying it was a legit question **disclaimer** I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE QUESTION, but he probably did it to find out if Dez would lie to him and say no because his mom was in fact a prostitute, has served time in jail for an assortment of things, drug problems the whole nine yards. They knew all of this. I like Dez and I think he will be a great player in the NFL if he doesn't let the $$ take over his life. Again, don't think the question was one that needed to be asked but they do have the right to pass on someone for whatever reason they want. No suit here. As to Dez himself, we hear it all the time up here, late to practice and stuff like that, eh, thats just a college kid being a college kid. If his work ethic bit him in the azz then so be it, you can't blame an NFL GM for that can you?
What are you asking? Affirmative action? I think if they are going to invest millions of dollars in someone they have a certain amount of authority in who they want to pick. I guess we just see it differently. Why did the Lions take a WR in the first round for 64 years in a row? Could any of the QB's that they didn't take go back and sue them? I don't know all the answers as to why they draft who and for what reason but I think they are entitled to do it. They also have to live with it, if Dez turns out to be a superstar they will regret it, simple as that.
i understand your point and I agree with some of it, I think I was more asking about if a rumor caused a player to drop but the rumor was not true at all. It seems a little one sided.
Dez should have punched him right in the mouth and told him not to talk about his mom like that. You don't mess with someone's mom, sorry but thats off limits. If he wanted to see the reaction, there were several other "big boy" questions he could have asked. That was such a set up question it isn't even funny. I wish he would have gotten mad enough to at least walk out or end the interview: "My mom is not a prostitute," Bryant told Yahoo! Sports. As for his reaction to Ireland's question: "I got mad — really mad — but I didn't show it." The Associated Press: Dolphins GM apologizes for question to Dez Bryant
No, its not that the Dolphins didn't hire him, it's just the inappropriate question. If i interview someone, i can't ask if they have kids, i can't ask if they are pregnant, i can't ask a plethora of questions because if i do ask if she is pregnant and then she doesn't get the job, she can sue me for discrimination. The only way i can ask questions like that is give the option to answer or to not answer if they do not feel comfortable. Now if the GM for the Dolphins said, "Dez, i have a personal question to ask, and if you don't feel comfortable giving me the answer you do not have to answer the question" that would be lawful.
I still don't think it does. In the end the team has to decide if they want to unload that much cash on a "prospect" with question marks. If they decide to pass then they have to eat it if it turns out to be a bad decision. The same can be said for the flip side of this argument ala brady quinn crying because he should have been taken earlier and wanting top 10 money. It didn't happen, he is still making millions, quit bitching. (not you mm I am talking to quinn). He isn't worth a flip so all that passed on him made the right call. I just don't think the team can be held liable for it.
Even if the rumor started with a GM or a scout for a team? Like Clausen, I believe he will have a better career than Bradford, but because someone said he wasnt a leader.... you know the rest.
