We reported recently, without naming names, that at least one “good prospect” tested positive at the Scouting Combine. Dan Pompei confirms, without naming names, our report.
But Pompei adds that the player isn’t expected to suffer significantly for the positive test. “Other high profile players -- reportedly Percy Harvin, Brandon Tate and Aqib Talib, among others -- have failed tests at the combine in recent years and did not fall precipitously in the draft,” Pompei says. “Many, many other players have failed tests at their schools. It’s a little different at the combine when they know the test is coming. But NFL teams believe so many kids are smoking grass that they can’t beat them up too badly for it.”
Players who test positive when they know they’re going to be tested either have a problem -- or they aren’t very bright. But Pompei is right; teams generally don’t care about players smoking marijuana. (Former Bucs and Colts coach Tony Dungy has a different view of the situation.) Most teams care only if the playesr may not be available for duty because of a suspension resulting from multiple positive tests.
The question ultimately becomes whether a guy loves marijuana more than football. Over the past decade, only a small handful of players ultimately have opted for leaves of pot over skins of pig.