Two hours before last Thursday’s NFL draft was set to start, Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil was the most talked about draftee as a video of him smoking a bong via a gas mask was posted onto his Twitter account. Tunsil, who was potential no. 1 overall pick, soon tumbled all the way down to 13th, when he was picked up by the Miami Dolphins. The Baltimore Ravens were set on selecting him but passed after the video was made public.
Things went from bad to worse after the draft, when it was revealed that Tunsil allegedly took to money from an Ole Miss coach, which is a major NCAA violation. As questions regarding his character continued to swirl, the Dolphins have gone on record to defend their decision to draft the youngster, while also revealing that he will not the NFL’s stage 1 substance abuse program. The clause in the league’s collective bargaining agreement would make Tunsil eligible for the program, stating:
“Behavior [including but not limited to an arrest or conduct related to an alleged misuse of substances of abuse occurring up to two football seasons prior to the player’s applicable scouting combine] which, in the judgment of the medical director, exhibits physical, behavioral, or psychological signs or symptoms of misuse of substances of abuse.”
With that said, the franchise want to give Tunsil an opportunity for a fresh start. This is amid rumors that the video posting via his Twitter was a result of him being blackmailed.
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross:
“I think a lot of work is done for months and months, and one [thing] two hours before the draft is totally somebody out to get a guy. It’s not a question of this guy changed overnight. The work that we’ve done on him, the people we’ve talked to and even subsequently talking to, we’re going to continue that.”
