Nine of the former players who will welcome picks to the NFL Friday night are also saying the league has done them irreparable harm.
According to Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com, nine of the 32 team representatives who will announce second and third-round picks at the NFL Draft are also among the more than 4,100 players in the concussion lawsuit against the league.
The list includes soon-to-be-enshrined Hall of Famer Dave Robinson (Packers), Larry Centers (Cardinals), Tony Casillas (Cowboys), Dick Schafrath (Browns), Randy Gradishar (Broncos), Gary Barbaro (Chiefs), Joey Browner (Vikings), Jeremiah Trotter (Eagles) and Isaiah Kacyvenski (Seahawks) will step to the podium and welcome new players.
A league spokesman said the representatives were picked by the teams themselves.
“The concussion litigation is a separate matter and not relevant to our celebration of former players at the draft,” Greg Aiello said.
Perhaps not, but the juxtaposition of the new crop of fresh faces (and bodies) and the ones who claim they’re battered and discarded still makes for the possibility of an interesting “Welcome to the league” conversation.