The NFL Scouting Combine is notorious for being a place where players are asked weird and even sometimes inappropriate questions. One player has already shared that he was asked something inappropriate.
Former LSU running back Derrius Guice said during an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he was asked whether he likes men.
“Some people really try to get in your head, man, and really just test your reaction and see what your reaction is going to be,” Guice said, via Sporting News’ Alex Marvez.
“I’d go in one room and a team would ask me, ‘Do I like men?’ just to see my reaction. They’d try to bring up one of my family members or somebody and tell me, ‘Hey, man, I heard your mom sells herself. How do you feel about that?’ Just random stuff like that, man, to see how you respond.”
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio says he confirmed the question was asked.
Like Guice said, teams are looking to see how players respond to off-the-wall and potentially offensive queries. Why? They probably want to see how you react under pressure and in stressful situations. There is real-life application to these scenarios considering teams don’t want players who respond negatively when taunted. There’s a lot of trash talking from opposing players and fans, not to mention people out in public looking to pick fights. Teams want to ensure they’re drafting players who will not snap and commit a penalty or get into a fight or break a law when faced with this sort of thing.
However, asking someone their sexual preference is not allowed by league rules and could even be considered illegal depending on state laws. That’s not a question that should be asked. A player two years ago said he was asked the same question, leading to an apology from the team’s head coach.
