J.C. Tretter: Turning the Scouting Combine into a…
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The players at the Scouting Combine are not yet in the NFL and therefore not yet members of the NFL Players Association. But the NFLPA still has some thoughts on the Combine, and in general, the union is not a fan of the way the league trots out prospective players for a TV audience.
NFLPA President J.C. Tretter said that the league seems more interested in using the Combine as content for NFL Network than in doing what’s best for the next generation of NFL players.
“As it has shifted to being made a reality TV show, and been shifted away from its original need, it’s become less and less valuable,” Tretter told the New York Times. “Making it a prime time television event, pushing it late at night, is another instance where it’s not to the players’ benefit that they have to go out there and perform, and their draft stock relies on good performance.”
The NFLPA has long opposed the Combine and has told players that they should feel free to skip it, but few players do. As much as the union, agents and players may dislike the Combine, players still hope they can perform well enough to improve their draft stock. And the NFL will continue to turn those players’ efforts into one of its most popular offseason TV shows.
J.C. Tretter: Turning the Scouting Combine into a TV show is not to the players’ benefit
