Neither Jameis Winston nor Marcus Mariota will be present for the NFL draft on Thursday, and nobody is more upset about that than Michael Irvin.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer is scheduled to speak with the draft prospects in Chicago along with Cris Carter and was looking forward to teaching them some life lessons. Instead of attending the draft where they are the two biggest prospects, Winston and Mariota have decided to stay home with their families. That’s not sitting well with Irvin, who feels the quarterbacks are big-timing the draft.
“I understand you want to be with your family, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, but you’re a quarterback. Nobody profits more from this league than quarterbacks and I do have an issue with them not being there,” Irvin told USA TODAY Sports’ Lindsay Jones. “This is a family. You’re coming into something that is much bigger than you. Don’t big-time it, and that’s what I feel is being done.”
Irvin and Carter both had issues with drugs during their careers but still managed to be among the best players ever at their position. Irvin feels like he had a lot of wisdom to impart that they will be missing out on. He also thinks the QBs are just missing a great experience in general.
“I think Jameis would benefit especially from the opportunity to talk to guys like Cris and I, but also just being there and seeing it. He won’t get what he’s getting to be part of. You see [fans] wrapped around the building, sleeping there, to get there. You see what it means to them,” Irvin said. “I absolutely hate the fact that they’re not coming. Everyone will get on me, oh Michael they can make this decision. Yeah, they can. But I can make the decision to hate the fact that they made it.”
Though Irvin understands how big of a moment this is for players, he should also see the other side. Recall Mariota’s reason for wanting to be at home in Hawaii:
Mariota informed the league he plans to be in Hawaii among his family and the community that helped raise him. Mariota told the NFL that it is important to him, both personally and culturally, to be in Hawaii to celebrate the next step in his life.
Now how can anyone argue with that? It’s not like Mariota is shunning the NFL; he’s allowing cameras to be present when he is selected. He just wants to be at home. Likewise, Winston wants to be with his family, though he might also be motivated by a desire to avoid negative attention.
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