A famous NBA scout was once asked by a reporter if he thought a certain 7-footer would fall in the upcoming draft because he had some character issues.
“No, not really,” he answered. “If Charles Manson was 7 feet tall, someone would draft him and say, ‘So he had a bad year or two.’”
That’s a true story, and there’s actually a lot of truth in the quote, as funny as it is. Teams always find a way to justify their decisions to sign or draft players with character issues or a sordid past.
The Raiders proved this again Thursday night, when they drafted Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley in the first round at No. 24. Conley is an excellent player and was one of the best defensive backs in college football. He was considered by some to be a top-20 pick leading up to the draft, and some mock drafts had him going in the top 15. But a few days ago he was accused of raping a woman at a Cleveland hotel on April 9. At this point, he has not been arrested nor charged, and the investigation is ongoing. According to NFL Network, he passed a lie detector test by an NFL team about his version of events. At best, Conley is guilty of putting himself in a vulnerable situation. At worst, he committed a heinous crime.
NFL Network and ESPN draft experts said the Raiders wouldn’t have drafted Conley if they weren’t convinced he isn’t guilty or won’t be charged. That completely misses the point. The Raiders selected Conley because he can help them win games. It’s a risk-reward selection that could could pay off in a big way if Conley is exonerated.
Two other teams picked players with some dirt surrounding them — the Browns took Jabrill Peppers at No. 25, and the 49ers took Reuben Foster at No. 31. Both failed drug tests before the draft, the results showing diluted urine samples. That suggests they tried to water down their specimen in order to cheat the system and mask something illegal. There was much speculation that Peppers and Foster were going to slide in the draft and maybe fall out of the first round, but they’re way too talented for some teams to pass on despite the failed tests. They are both considered impact players, which means they can help the woeful Browns and 49ers improve dramatically.
The selections will be criticized by some, but most fans don’t really care about off-field issues and the character of players. Every front office knows this, so they continue to add these players to their rosters. Sure, many fans express outrage when their team drafts a bad character. It’s mostly false outrage, though — they still buy tickets, tune in and root for their team.
A general manager’s job is to field winning teams. These franchises don’t exist to compete for nice guy awards, they exist to win. That’s all fans really want, too. They want to see their teams win as many games as possible, and if that means they need to hold their noses and root for a player with character issues, they will.
First Published: April 28, 2017, 3:43 p.m.
