A Look Inside the Pre-Draft Interview

in my opinion, there was no need for an apology. these guys are asking for teams to make an enormous financial investment in them - they should be able to ask whatever questions they want to evaluate the guys mental and emotional makeup. if the players don't want to have to answer those types of questions, they can get a regular job like the rest of us.

So for that reason, it's ok not to treat them as human beings? Let's suppose the question was laid out as originally told (that no mention of his dad's profession was mentioned). You think it's perfectly ok to ask someone if their mother was a prostitute simply because the player is asking the NFL to make a financial investment in him?

But why don't we actually find out about his mother?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/25/sports/ncaafootball/25okstate.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

So for that reason, it's ok not to treat them as human beings? Let's suppose the question was laid out as originally told (that no mention of his dad's profession was mentioned). You think it's perfectly ok to ask someone if their mother was a prostitute simply because the player is asking the NFL to make a financial investment in him?

But why don't we actually find out about his mother?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/25/sports/ncaafootball/25okstate.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

That was an impressive story. Definitely rivals Oher's and in someways out does it. He made it on his own, no saving grace swooping in. Shame he went to the Cowboys' cuz now I have to hate him! (ok dislike him really really really strongly)

So for that reason, it's ok not to treat them as human beings? Let's suppose the question was laid out as originally told (that no mention of his dad's profession was mentioned). You think it's perfectly ok to ask someone if their mother was a prostitute simply because the player is asking the NFL to make a financial investment in him?

But why don't we actually find out about his mother?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/25/sports/ncaafootball/25okstate.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

how is asking a question not being treated like a human being? lets be realistic - in all likelyhood, Jeff Ireland had done enough research to already know the answer to the question. What he was interested in was how Bryant responded to the question - would he keep his cool or would he go off?

look at the trouble-makers in the NFL in recent years. The vast majority - if not all of them - come from broken families. whether its fair or not to profile players that way, its a harsh reality. In addition, Dez Bryant is universally regarded as a guy with serious character concerns and has the potential to kill a franchise. for that reason, it was reported that a number of teams had taken him off their draft boards alltogether.

Further, if team doesnt ask a guy a question like that in an interview, its garaunteed that a defender might say something similar to him in a game to get in his head. its prudent for a team to see how he responds to the question, as opposed to seeing if he goes ballistic and stomps on a cornerbacks head during a game.

it seems the vast majority of college athletes grow up relatively poor. They grow up watching rap videos on MTV that glorify the thug lifestyle. some are involved in gangs. alot are involved with drugs. Many have never held a real job before in thier life. How are they going to respond when they go from that lifestlye to being multi-millionaires overnight? or when they leave familiar surroundings for big-city life in NFL cities?

Given that context, i think not only is it justified, but its the smart thing to do to ask players whatever questions they want to ask to gauge a prospects potential mental and emotional makeup. in my opinion, teams would be smart to hire psychiatrists to either help them come of with questions, or be the ones asking the questions.

They show videos on MTV?

“The world will not stop and think- it never does, it is not its way; its way is to generalize from a single sample”

“We are more prone to generalize the bad than the good. We assume that the bad is more potent and contagious.”

“I realize that I'm generalizing here, but as is often the case when I generalize, I don't care.”

“The world will not stop and think- it never does, it is not its way; its way is to generalize from a single sample”

“We are more prone to generalize the bad than the good. We assume that the bad is more potent and contagious.”

“I realize that I'm generalizing here, but as is often the case when I generalize, I don't care.”

While that all sounds nice and dandy, the quote has more fluff than truth in it. Its not an assumption. Bad is more contagious than good. Thousands of years of human history have proven it. Its why wars have been fought since the the beginning of recorded history and continue to be fought today. That doesn't really apply to the topic we're discussing, though.

When people or companies are trying to decide whether or not they want to enter into a contract with someone, whether its for a job, a mortgage, or a marriage, they evaluate the person and their background, and they do so against a context. its part of a process to evaluate risk. do the potential benefits outweigh the risk of personal or financial disaster?

We're not ever going to agree on this, so no need to continue to waste everyone else's time

Even before a team sits down with a player they have a book worth of info on the guy. I just don't see where this line of questioning is necessary or beneficial to either side.

Even before a team sits down with a player they have a book worth of info on the guy. I just don't see where this line of questioning is necessary or beneficial to either side.

as i said in my post, ireland probably knew the answer to the question itself before asking it - what he was interested in was how bryant responded to the question. it was a psychological test, one not much different than those asked by every other team. except that a lot of people feel that mothers should be off-limits.

This all distracts away from the fact that he (Bryant) is kind of a douche. And even more relevant is the fact that he plays for Scarecrow and Dallas. I hope he fails. Dallas sucks.