Report: Agents of 150+ NFL draft prospects organizing combine boycott over COVID-19 restrictions
The NFL scouting combine is scheduled to begin on March 1, but whether or not the 2022 NFL draft's top players participate is apparently a question mark at this point.
Due to discontent over the NFL's bubble rules at the combine, agents representing more than 150 of the draft's prospects are organizing a boycott of all testing, on-field workouts and interviews at Lucas Oil Stadium, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
The players' main priority is reportedly the NFL softening its restrictions on who may attend the event. Currently, players may only have one medical support person accompany them to Indianapolis, rather than the full team of coaches and trainers they reportedly desire.
Should the boycott take place, many notable players will do medical evaluations at the combine.
Unless the NFL and the combine agree to ease those restrictions — allowing players access to their full team of coaches, trainers, ATCs et al. as in past years — most top prospects will now only do medical evaluations next month in Indianapolis. https://t.co/YJgJe0KH6c
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 21, 2022
The NFL Players Association reportedly sent a memo to the players' agents in support of the potential boycott. The union took issue with both the bubble and the current system of each team medically evaluating prospects.
The NFLPA just sent this memo to agents, reinforcing the union’s “long standing opposition to the NFL Scouting Combine” and expressing support for those who don’t attend in light of the “bubble” environment this year. pic.twitter.com/ktjv346B2J
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 20, 2022
The NFL officially informed players of the bubble restrictions on Monday. In addition to only allowing medical personnel to accompany players, the league is also requiring all prospects to be fully vaccinated and boosted, if eligible, and to restrict their movements to secure combine facilities.
Under the rules, who exits the combine will be disqualified from further participation. We'll see if any of that changes for an event that has long loomed as a big day for draft prospects, but is by no means the only way they can sell teams on their talents.