More than 150 draft prospects, through their agents, are threatening to boycott next week’s NFL scouting combine in wake of the league’s plan to implement bubble-like protocols that limit the contact athletes can have during the event, according to multiple reports.
The boycott calls for the players to skip key events of the combine, such as workout drills and interviews with teams. The protest reportedly was organized by representatives of 13 different agencies, which represent more than 150 of the 324 prospects invited to the combine.
Over the weekend, the NFL sent a memo to prospects outlining a list of coronavirus-related protocols that the athletes must follow when in Indianapolis for the combine. The protocols prevent the prospects from having no more than one “medical support person” onsite to assist them during events — an issue of contention for the agents, who tend to surround prospects with trainers, nutritionists and others to help them prepare.
The NFL said in its memo that “players will be restricted to secure Combine venues during their entire time in Indianapolis for their protection.”
The NFL Network first reported the threats of a boycott. The NFL and the agencies are reportedly negotiating a compromise to prevent the boycott from taking place.
The scouting combine, which begins March 1, is an annual spectacle for the NFL in which prospects come to Indianapolis for the near-week-long event to conduct interviews with teams, get medically examined and perform in drills like the 40-yard dash. The event was not held in 2021, however, due to the pandemic.
“As an agent, I struggle with the combine,” tweeted Mike McCartney, a high-profile agent who represents possible top pick Aidan Hutchinson. “Players get optimal nutrition & rest for games. The combine? Almost the opposite. Improper rest & diet, then tested in a cold, sterile environment. It’s part of why guys test better at Pro Days. And somehow, the NFL has now made it worse.”
Agent Steve Caric tweeted the NFL’s plan was akin to having a team “play a game without their coaching staff.” He wrote that if the league wants the prospects to do well at the combine, then they had to get access to their training staffs.
“Be ready for a lot of top prospects to wait until pro day to test,” Caric wrote.
The NFL Players Association backed the effort of a potential boycott in a statement. The players’ union does not yet represent the prospects, though, because they have not been drafted and are not signed to an NFL contract.
“We have spoken to several agents to reinforce our long standing opposition to the NFL Scouting Combine and agree and support the decisions by those to not attend,” the NFLPA said in a statement to The Athletic. “The combination of the NFL’s proposed ’bubble’ and fact that we still have an antiquated system of every team doctor examining players and having them perform yet again needs serious modification or elimination.
“While we do not represent these players we have advocated for their rights to fair treatment.”
The league said in its memo that any players who violate the policies would be sent home.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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