Players had to pay to be in the NFL veteran combine

The NFL had its first veteran combine over the weekend where veteran players had a chance to prove they belonged in the league.

Veteran players had a chance to prove they belonged in the league with the first ever NFL veteran combine.

Unfortunately, the pictures coming out of it weren’t pretty. Not only did players have to pay a $400 dollar fee to be there, they had to pay their own way to the combine, hotel, airfare, you name it. Then there were the slow 40 times and the overriding impression that there’s a reason most of these guys aren’t on NFL rosters.

The 40 times really stuck out though. Once speedy Cowboys running back Felix Jones hit 4.79 and 4.85. Michael Bush ran a 4.91 and Michael Sam couldn’t crack a 5-flat 40, according to a story by MMBQ’s Peter King. Apparently someone even ran it in six seconds, or, as King put it, Rich Eisen time. One GM at the combine said that there might have been a few “back of the roster” players at the event, but that was pretty much it.

In other words, it quickly became glaringly obvious that there’s a reason these guys aren’t signed. No one was impressed with the level of skill on display, and no one should be impressed with the ridiculous fact that the NFL still tried to get a profit out of it.

If these were really prospects for any team out there, why did they have to pay to be seen? On the other hand, if it’s just slow news day programming for sports channels, then why does it even exist in the first place?

As King said, most everyone walked away with the basic thought: that was sad.

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