NFL staffers at the Scouting Combine were not "happy" that fans were present during the event's bench press drill, according to Charles Robinson of YAHOO SPORTS. The staffers were "upset at fans screaming at players." One specific instance involved Ole Miss TE Evan Engram, who had a fan "screaming at him about his bench press form." That "clearly angered" some NFL evaluators (TWITTER.com, 3/3). SB NATION's Harry Lyles Jr. wrote the Combine is "yet another way the NFL is trying to welcome fans into the game with a closer view of the player experience, though it appears it may be a mixed bag for the players." Washington State WR Gabe Marks, when asked what it felt like to go through the drill with fans watching, said, "I don't know, man. The whole cattle thing, with you standing in line with the compression shorts on and you, like, stand up there and people, like, touch you and stuff. And the bench press in front of people, it’s like ... I don't know." Throughout media interviews with NFL Combine participants, the bench press sessions were "clearly heard." The coach "spotting the athlete on the bench shouted, but the crowds, which varied in size, got loud at times." Alabama WR ArDarius Stewart said, "You gotta be used to the fans being out there and doing things. In this football industry, we’re also entertainers, so it’s something you have to be ready for." Overall, it "seemed that players didn’t mind." If more cases "like Engram’s happen, perhaps the NFL will have to take the access away from fans" (SBNATION.com, 3/4).
