Feb. 21 (UPI) — Agents representing more than 150 draft prospects are threatening to boycott 2022 NFL Scouting Combine activities due to the league’s COVID-19 bubble restrictions for the event.
Sources told NFL Network, The Athletic and ESPN on Sunday that the agents are organizing the boycott of all on-field workouts, interviews and testing for the event, which starts March 1 in Indianapolis. More than a dozen different agencies are part of the boycott.
If the boycott is implemented, the prospects those agents represent will only participate in medical evaluations.
The annual event, which features hundreds of the top college football prospects, allows NFL team decision-makers to examine players mentally and physically as part of their pre-draft process. The combine was not held at a centralized location last year due to COVID-19.
The NFLPA, the union that represents NFL players, issued a letter to agents in support of their decision to boycott the event. It also said it encourages players to “take control of their careers from the very beginning” and appreciates that agents are “looking at ways to support that goal.”
“We have spoken to several agents to reinforce our long standing opposition to the NFL Scouting Combine and agree and support the decisions by those to not attend,” the union said. “The combination of the NFL’s proposed ‘bubble’ and fact that we still have an antiquated system of every team doctor examining players and having them perform yet again needs serious modification or elimination.
“While we do not represent these players, we have advocated for their rights to fair treatment.”
On Saturday, the NFL Scouting Combine issued a memo to prospects about the COVID-19 bubble structure for this year’s event. The memo stated that the players will be restricted to “combine venues their entire time in Indianapolis for protection.”
Players who violate that policy will be disqualified from participation and sent home. Players are allowed to invite one medical support staff person to assist them during the event. That person is required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
NFL agents typically provide players with trainers, nutritionists and other specialists to help them prepare for the weeklong combine.
Equally frustrating that we just watched a month of playoffs with no testing/COVID concerns, a Super Bowl with 70,000 unmasked people, but the Combine is when they want to draw the line, resulting in the process becoming more difficult for players who are trying to earn a job. https://t.co/6Jbg4Dxytv— Molly McManimie (@MolllyMack) February 19, 2022
Agent Mike McCartney, who represents potential No. 1 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson, wrote about his opposition to the NFL’s 2022 combine structure Sunday night on Twitter. Several other NFL agents also spoke out against the combine’s structure Sunday on social media.
“As an agent, I struggle with the combine,” McCartney tweeted. “Players get optimal nutrition and rest for games. The combine? Almost the opposite. Improper rest and diet, then tested in a cold, sterile environment. It’s part of why guys test better at pro days. And somehow, the NFL has now made it worse.”
A total of 324 prospects were invited to the event. Those who don’t plan to participate in drills at this year’s event are expected to participate in on-field activities at their respective college pro day workout.
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