With coronavirus deeply impacting all Americans, NFL personnel continues to whine about draft
Commissioner Roger Goodell has made some questionable decisions, but he had one epiphany that NFL teams should have paid closer attention to.
When he said the NFL draft would be happening as scheduled April 23-25, he also warned teams to not complain publicly about it. The reason had to be twofold. First, he knew NFL coaches and front-office personnel would complain. That’s what they do.
And Goodell likely knew that fans would not want to hear their whining.
All Americans have been deeply affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Lives are being lost. Unemployment is skyrocketing. High school seniors are missing milestone events like prom and graduation. In countless ways, major and minor, the pandemic has had a negative effect on everyone.
And with lives being thrown into chaos across the country, NFL teams are still anonymously complaining about having to use the internet to draft. Unbelievable. Tone deaf doesn’t begin to describe it.
Multiple complaints still being made
This draft will be different. And challenging. Nobody is disputing that.
But the challenges facing NFL teams this month are not that bad. Especially compared to what everyone else is dealing with. NFL teams will manage to still select college football players.
The latest complaint, through ESPN’s Adam Schefter, is that coaches don’t want IT personnel entering their homes for fear of the virus spreading.
A concern has emerged in recent days: There are certain coaches and front-office staffers reluctant to have their IT employees in their homes for fear of the virus spreading, and vice versa; some IT employees are concerned about going into other homes to equip them for the draft.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 8, 2020
That’s a responsible thought, especially compared to Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy’s baffling thoughts on his players coming back to school in a few weeks. But given the backdrop of every other complaint, it just seems like the continuation of a tantrum.
Let’s be clear: Nobody wants to hear the NFL’s gripes right now. There are much more important things happening around the world than a team having its meeting app freeze for a few seconds.
A list of NFL complaints over the draft
Let’s go through a sampling of some of the NFL’s whining that has gone on, during the worst health crisis in at least a century.
NBC Sports’ Peter King wrote that NFL personnel were upset with Goodell’s edict to not complain publicly. “Whatever happened to freedom of speech?” one told King. Which means in addition to being tone deaf, NFL folks need a refresher on the Constitution.
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson wrote about teams being concerned about internet security during the draft. Ravens coach John Harbaugh went on the record saying teams were worried about breaches.
On Wednesday, Schefter said on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia that he had an NFL head coach text him asking him to rip the league for holding the draft when it has to be done remotely. Really.
.@AdamSchefter on @975TheFanatic says an NFL head coach texted him: “You should be attacking the league for the logistics of this draft.”
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) April 8, 2020
Jason Reid of The Undefeated said sources in NFL personnel told him teams were “worried about blowing this draft.”
Over the past few days, I’ve talked with several sources of mine who work in NFL player personnel. My takeaway is this: The chatter out there about teams being worried about blowing this draft is very, very real.
— Jason Reid (@JReidESPN) April 7, 2020
Here’s where you can fill in any joke you have about teams having normal offseasons and still drafting Mitchell Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. Heck, maybe teams will do better without weeks to overthink things.
Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff said he hopes the NFL allows some leeway in getting picks in if there are technological issues. Like there are not multiple ways to communicate with the league or other teams.
The NFL draft has been going since 1936. It has changed dramatically, but it always gets done. Teams moaning like a “virtual draft” is entirely foreign highlights why the complaining is insulting. Teams have always been at their own facilities. When they need to make a trade, they call the other team. When their pick is decided, they call someone on site who hands in the card. Now teams will presumably have to call the NFL directly with their picks. It’s not rocket science.
This is simple technology NFL teams are complaining about. There are plenty of virtual meeting sites and apps, and they’re not complicated. There are issues, but nothing that teams can’t prepare for and figure out.
In this instance, Goodell was right: Anonymous and grumpy NFL coaches and personnel, just shut up already. We don’t want to hear it anymore.
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