The NFL "will no longer allow players with convictions for domestic violence, sexual assault or weapons offenses to attend the annual scouting combine in Indianapolis," according to Lindsay Jones of USA TODAY. NFL Exec VP/Football Operations Troy Vincent in a memo wrote that invited prospects "would be barred from 'any league-related event' if a background check turns up a felony or misdemeanor conviction." Players that "refuse to submit to a background check will also be uninvited." It also means those players "would not be invited to the draft." The rule is "expected to impact only a handful of players each year." Vincent told teams that players who are barred from the combine "will have no restrictions from attending other private workouts, pro days and regional combines" (USATODAY.com, 2/8). ESPN’s Mark Dominik said this is the wrong decision, saying, "I get what these players have done is significant, but our job in the NFL world is to try to decipher who can and can’t you trust ... and the less time that I have with them, the harder it is for us to make a decision.” Dominik added, “I don’t want players that maybe have found a way to turn the corner (to) get penalized. ... I get where the league is coming from, trying to prove a point at these lower levels that, ‘Hey, you start making mistakes, it’s going to cost you in the long run.’ I get that, but at the same point, taking that away is making the clubs even less efficient in terms of being able to try pull information out of these players to make correct decisions on them” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 2/9).
