Mark Cuban gave an interview to Rolling Stone that covered multiple topics, including why so many NFL players seem to be getting in trouble, especially compared to NBA players. Cuban said one big reason is because there are many more NFL players than NBA players. But he also brought up another significant point: he thinks teams need to be more proactive with handling red flags of athletes.
“No question [more NFL players get in trouble than NBA players] because there are more of them, and I think there are two more important factors: I think it’s difficult to be a warrior on the field and a pussycat off of it, but more importantly, I think that all pro sports turn a blind eye to minor leaguers and collegiate athletes with checkered backgrounds.
“You don’t go from the minors or college to the pros and all of the sudden become a spouse abuser, or any of a number of other serious personal issues. Those traits don’t suddenly appear when you make a pro roster. They were there in college. They were probably there prior to college. Yet we as leagues ignore those issues when we sign and draft players. That has to change. We need to participate in programs that publicly identify those athletes that have issues, and not allow them to play unless they go through rigorous counseling.”
Cuban says his Dallas Mavericks have a team psychologists who works with their players. They are trying to make sure their players do not have problems off the court, because they believe that would affect how they perform in their jobs.
Cuban says teams at other levels also need to “identify and report issues.”
“We need to demand that colleges and minor leagues and high schools and summer-travel programs identify and report issues. By not reporting abuse or other issues with their players, they could be costing them a shot at the pros. It’s our fault for not being more proactive. It’s college’s fault for not red-flagging these kids and getting them help,” Cuban told Rolling Stone.
One problem is that if a player is talented, a coach would probably have a favorable opinion of the player and be biased. For instance, Jimbo Fisher appears to love Jameis Winston. Do you think Jimbo would really tell the truth to pro teams about Winston’s red flags? Probably not.
Also consider that many teams already remove players from their draft boards if they have too many red flags. The issue is that in a competitive league, there is usually always at least one team desperate enough to take a chance on a talented player despite the red flags. If you look around the league in the NFL and NBA, you’ll see plenty of examples of this.
Though Cuban’s goal is a noble one, it is not very realistic when it comes to a league full of competitive owners and teams.
