The 2017 NFL Combine is underway, which means we get to see what this event looks like when the NFL banishes players such as Joe Mixon for domestic violence.
Since these players are absent, you knew NFL executives would be asked about the noticeably absent players such as Mixon. Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn was the first to make a stance Wednesday. He admitted he wasn’t pleased with the new rule and wanted to have a chance at evaluating the controversial running back in Indianapolis.
From ESPN:
“We’re going to leave the door open on Joe. I think it’s really disappointing that Joe’s not here,” Quinn said. “We come here to see the best college football players in college football. So there’s 330, 340-some odd players here. Him not being here, because of those issues, personally I don’t think that’s real fair because we have a lot of investigation that we want to do on him and to get him in one spot for all the teams would have been great.
“I’m not part of those decisions about how guys are chosen but I think it is a disappointment that guys like him, there’s a few others you can put in that category, that we’re going to be chasing around the month of March and April and it’s really unfair to the players to be honest with you. So the door is open and I’d like to be able to get a chance to sit down with the people that know Joe or Joe and see what the circumstances were around the incident.”
Quinn said Mixon is still on Detroit’s draft board but that it would be “a long conversation” before he felt comfortable about drafting the 6-1, 227-pounder. He also said if the Lions were to decide they wanted to draft Mixon, it is “absolutely, yes,” a decision he would run by team owner Martha Ford.
…
“Some of that stuff that’s out on him, it’s pretty … it’s out there,” Quinn said. “Everyone can look at the video and [see] exactly what happened. What we really don’t know is what were the circumstances around that. Like I said up there, this is a long process and I really wish he was here so we could sit down with him and, like, get to the bottom of it.”
Here are some flaws in Quinn’s logic here. First off, Mixon isn’t the first draft prospect to not attend the combine. Michael Vick, Deuce McAllister and Todd Heap are some notable players who have skipped the event.
Then, there’s the Lions wanting to further investigate the situation. I’m not sure how much there is to investigate. The video is out there and the woman has already given the side of her story. It’s hard to see an answer from Mixon that would satisfy any NFL team unless that team had already determined that Mixon’s past won’t affect his draft status.
To me, how teams now handle cases like Mixon’s is probably the most interesting part of this entire event. Sorry, I can’t get that excited about some guy bench pressing. This isn’t the last time we’ll hear about Mixon in Indianapolis.
[ESPN]
