The NFL Combine is a yearly experience where the top college athletes looking for a shot to play professionally showcase their skills to a crowd of scouts. But one of the NFL’s higher-ups thinks the combine has racism baked into its core.
At a league meeting on Wednesday, Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent said that the Combine is comparable to a slave auction. NFL owners were suggesting ways to improve the combine experience for prospects when Vincent made the preposterous statement.
Several owners were rightfully upset with Vincent’s notion and immediately pushed back against his statement, including Atlanta Falcons owner Artur Blank, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II.
What further makes this ridiculous is that Vincent has been in some type of leadership position for the NFL’s operations since 2014, yet only now does he think there’s something wrong with the combine. Maybe he was persuaded by everyone’s favorite race-baiter Colin Kaepernick, who released a documentary last year on Netflix that suggested the same thing.
But no matter who’s suggesting the idea, its absolutely absurd. Slaves didn't endure auctions for the chance to play a kids' game for millions of dollars and the adulation of fans.
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Eligible players have the choice to come to the NFL Combine. Sure, they have to go through an extensive medical examination process, lots of meetings, and have their physical skills scrutinized, but nothing about this remotely suggests racism. If a franchise wants to fork over millions a year to have someone play football for them, it makes sense the vetting process would be extensive.
NFL prospects - not professionals, prospects - are treated exceptionally well during this process and nobody but Kaepernick has ever once complained about being treated like slaves.
Not only is it foolish for Vincent and Kaepernick to suggest something like this, in doing so they cheapen the meaning of the words “racism” and “slavery.” Both of those words refer to the process of owning or looking down upon someone based on their skin color, not a once-a-year event where hundreds of college kids are given an opportunity to show their talent so they can earn millions.
It’s despicable to think -- and especially say -- anything different.
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