A Look Inside the Pre-Draft Interview

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by BigHairedAristocrat

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/sp...ewanted=1&_r=1

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

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/sp...ewanted=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)

[BigHairedAristocrat]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

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/sp...ewanted=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.

[MTK]

They show videos on MTV?

[SmootSmack]

“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.”

[BigHairedAristocrat]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

“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?

[SmootSmack]

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

[MTK]

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.

[BigHairedAristocrat]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

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.

[dblanch66]

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.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by BigHairedAristocrat

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.

The situation could have been approached more tactfully, not exactly the best way to start off a potential professional relationship.

[over the mountain]

the only thing i find interesting is that we have two people in a room, with two different versions of what was said.

one of them is lying. flat out lying.

i hope its dez. i hope this "interview" fiasco is just the tip of the iceberg for his nfl career.

this may just be an isolated incident in which dez is involved in an innocent mix up.

or it might be that dez, who seemingly from the article SS posted, has had alot of these "misunderstandings" with authorities or answering questions or being accountable or being able to accept that he is not infallable.

or maybe ireland is just a jerk who just popped the "so your moms a prostitute" out of nowhere.

dez bryant has all the tell-tale signs of being an unfortunate misunderstood adam pacman jones.

im not casting a stone either way, but given his reputation of having off-field issues coming into the draft, does it surprise anyone that that same player is the only new draftee with a "misunderstanding" and off-field before he even put on a cowboy uniform?

like i said, dez could have just been an innocent victim to a tactless old white guy or this could just be another incident in a long line of past and future incidental misunderstandings.

i really just find the lying part intriguing. one of them is 100% lying.

[GoSkins!]

Originally Posted by BigHairedAristocrat

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 altogether.

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.

Got to agree that in the NFL things are a bit different than in corporate America. It is plausible to think Ireland might want to see how Dez would react to this type of inappropriate question because this is the type of thing opposing players may be throwing at him on the field all the time. Once the guy gets money in his pocket will he fell entitled to start a fight when players start harassing him? If so, 15 yards, minimum. Seems specifically relevant.


However, I think most people would still agree that this is clearly crossing the line. Especially without Ireland explaining why he would ask the question after hearing whatever answer he was looking for.