The NFL Combine is a time when teams can spend time with some of the players they may be drafting. Teams like to interview players to learn more about them, and they are known to probe and ask some odd questions. But at what point do questions become too personal?
That subject was discussed three years ago when many felt Miami Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland went too far with this question he asked wide receiver Dez Bryant. The debate is coming up again after tight end prospect Nick Kasa said he was asked about his sexual preference.
Kasa, who was a tight end and defensive lineman at Colorado, appeared with CJ and Kreckman on ESPN Radio in Denver Tuesday to discuss the combine. He called the combine “hectic” and said that teams are trying to catch you off guard a lot.
“I think the whole point of the week is to play with your mind to see if you stay focused and stay driven. There was a couple of questions by coaches … they try to catch you off guard or try to say something you wouldn’t normally say … to see if they can get a reaction. They’re trying to see how badly they can get in your mind,” said Kasa.
Kasa was asked if he was asked any weirdly personal questions.
“They ask you like, ‘Do you have a girlfriend?’ Are you married?’ Do you like girls?’” Kasa told the hosts. “Those kinds of things. It was kind of weird. But they would ask you with a straight face, and it’s a pretty weird experience altogether.”
The subject of a players’ sexual preference has come up recently for a few reasons. As San Francisco 49ers DB Chris Culliver showed us, there are football players who would not feel comfortable having a gay teammate. Some people even thought that Manti Te’o was involved in the girlfriend hoax to cover up being gay. Clearly the NFL is not ready for a gay player, otherwise we already have one.
But, we have to ask, why would a player’s sexual preference matter to a team? It shouldn’t, therefore these questions should not be asked.
Helmet smack to Pro Football Talk
Photo credit: Ron Chenoy – USA TODAY Sports
