Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, caused a stir at league meetings on Wednesday when he reportedly compared the scouting combine to a “slave auction.”
That notion upset some team owners, including Cowboys leader Jerry Jones and Falcons owner Arthur Blank, according to CBS Sports.
Vincent reportedly made the comment while announcing changes to the combine that would include a less rigorous medical evaluation process and a focus on questions teams ask of draft prospects.
Blank immediately stood up and took issue with Vincent’s comments, sources in the meeting told the website. CBS wrote that Blank “took umbrage with the idea that he was either taking part in or helping to prop up an event that could be considered racist.”
That’s when Jones reportedly took the microphone and discussed the “privilege” of playing in the NFL — explaining that with the thousands of college football players out there, only about 300 get invited to the combine, adding that even fewer get drafted.
A Cowboys spokesman said Jones didn’t say “privilege,” but instead said “opportunity,” according to CBS Sports.
Earlier in the day, Vincent — who played 15 NFL seasons at cornerback — told reporters that the league is trying to be better about communicating with players.
“We just feel like the overall experience, talking to the players, we can be better in that particular aspect,” he said. “So there was, I would say, a good discussion around what that looks like, where we could be, keeping in mind that the combine is the player’s first experience with the National Football League, and in that experience, there has to be dignity.
“It’s a great opportunity for the young men, but there has to be some form of dignity and level of dignity and respect as they go through that process. That was the overall theme around our combine [discussion.]”
Steelers owner Art Rooney II — who is chairman of the NFL Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee — reportedly chimed in, adding that teams need the necessary information at the combine to make informed decisions.
