Bad sports, good sports: NFL G.M. wants to know if player’s mom is a prostitute

Posted on May 3rd, 2010 by Alan Spoll

NFL teams try to be very thorough when checking out players that they are contemplating drafting. A big part of that process involves interviews conducted by members of the front offices, asking the players a variety of questions intended to help the teams determine whether or not to invest a pick and a lot of money in a player’s future. The Miami Dolphins made news last week when Jeff Ireland, the team’s general manager, apologized to Dez Bryant, a Dallas Cowboys draftee, for an inappropriate question he asked Bryant during that pre-draft interview. It seems that Ireland was wondering if Bryant’s mother had ever been a prostitute.

OK, what? That seems like an awfully bizarre question. I realize we don’t know the context, but I don’t think I can actually imagine a context that would make a question like that okay. Leaks out of the Dolphins camp suggested that there was a line of questioning about Bryant’s father that led to the unfortunate question. Those claims have been refuted by Bryant. Even if they were true, what would this exchange have accomplished for the Dolphins? Were they planning to use this information as a basis for the decision on whether or not to draft Bryant? If he had said yes, his mother was a prostitute, would they have crossed him off the list? When he said no, did they take that as a sign that he was draftable? The whole thing boggles my mind.

Look, teams invest huge sums of money in their top draft picks. Players in the top ten get guaranteed millions before they have played a down. I understand the need to know something about the players beyond what they have done on the field. Look at guys like Lawrence Phillips and Kevin Allen. The teams that drafted them really paid the price when they went off the rails and ended up in jail. Information travels so quickly these days, though, it has to occur to these teams that something like this would become public information. Ireland has apologized, and Bryant accepted, but the black eye taken by the Dolphins is something that is going to stick around for a while, and will probably prompt some new rules about what teams can and can’t ask. Sounds like a good idea. They may be about to make a ton of money, but these are still 22-year-old kids. Guys like Jeff Ireland should remember that.

Bad sports, continued:

2) A football player from the University of Pennsylvania was found dead in his apartment on Monday. Owen Thomas had recently been named a team captain. His mother later revealed that he had committed suicide.

3) Add this one to the list of idiotic injuries: Phillies interim closer Ryan Madson broke his toe on Wednesday when he kicked a metal folding chair after blowing a save in the Phillies game against the San Francisco Giants. He has been put on the disabled list.

Bonus) Yes, it’s that time again. Time for Brett Favre to amp up the offseason drama. Now, it’s not just will-he-or-won’t-he come back for another season, but we get the added factor of an injury that may require surgery. Whatever makes him feel more heroic once he makes the eventual decision. Ugh.

Good sports:

1) Amy Palmiero-Winters, an amputee who lost her left leg in a motorcycle accident in 1994, has qualified for the U.S. National Track & Field Team. She’ll get her first chance to compete in France on May 13th and 14th.

2) Calvin Borel won his third Kentucky Derby in four years when he rode Super Saver to victory on Saturday. This time, he did it in the mud. Borel and Super Saver will race in the Preakness on May 15th.

3) Ryo Ishikawa shot a 12-under 58 on Sunday in a Japan Tour event at the Nagoya Golf Club in Togo, Japan. It is the lowest score ever recorded in a professional tour event.

Bonus) Brooks Laich, a forward for the Washington Capitals, could have sulked after his team was eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday. Instead, he stopped on his way home to help a woman and her daughter who were stranded on the side of the road due to a flat tire. Laich changed the tire and got them on their way. Good stuff.

Bad Sports, Good Sports appears every Monday

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Alan Spoll

Alan Spoll is a software quality assurance director from the suburbs of Philadelphia where he lives with his wonderful wife and children. He has spent his entire life as a passionate fan of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Penn State. Recent Phillies success aside, you will understand his natural negativity. Follow me on Twitter - @DocAlan02