Many will say it is too little, too late, but the NFL has taken a hardline stance with its incoming class of collegiate prospects, banning those with convictions for "domestic violence, sexual assault or weapons offenses," from the NFL rookie scouting combine in Indianapolis later this month, according to Lindsay H. Jones of USA TODAY Sports.
The move was announced via a memo from NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent, distributed to the league's 32 teams last month.
"It is important for us to remain strongly committed to league values as we demonstrate to our fans, future players, coaches, general managers, and others who support our game that character matters," Vincent wrote, per Jones.
But it won't just be the combine that these players can't attend. If background checks reveal any of the aforementioned issues, the players in question will be barred from "any league-related event," and players that refuse a background check will be uninvited.
Of course, the players will not be barred from other non-NFL affiliated events, like private workouts and pro days, and they remain eligible to be drafted.
Considering some 300 players attend the scouting combine in Indianapolis every year, where they undergo athletic testing and perform faux-football duties in t-shirts and shorts, it is likely to only effect a very small handful of players.
