Mariota or Winston?

The only way it could backfire or hurt him is if the Bucs think it was such a stupid idea and they pass on him. Aside from that, the only thing that will happen is more hot takes from the hot take crowd.

 

Don't underestimate the temperature of your thoughts.

 

I mean, is that untrue?

 

Start with the valid premise that everything said before the draft by an NFL team official, especially off the record, is a lie and you won't go far wrong. Perhaps said personnel director is employed by the Titans or Redskins.

 

Wait, are some people here under the impression that Sunshine's quote from an NFL personnel guy is actually true? Or am I the idiot for thinking it was a made-up quote to prove his point, which was valid.

 

I don't think the Bucs give a shit about whether Winston attends the draft or not.

 

I assumed it was made-up.

 

Same.

 

It was completely made-up, and the response shows just how knee-jerk and awful people expect the NFL media to be. And that goes to my point: Winston and his handlers should realize that him not showing up is going to be more trouble than it's worth.

 

Oh, good.

But yeah, I agree that it could be seen as the wrong thing to do. But literally, how will it be more trouble than it's worth? I assume his agent is getting calls from the media requesting comment. But other than that, I'm sure Winston and his people will go about their business as usual, won't they? Or hell, maybe they do end up buckling under the pressure of media requests. I just don't see how it can do any real damage beyond the creation of a few columns saying it's the wrong move. It shouldn't hurt his draft stock, and it shouldn't fuck with any endorsements he might get, which I can't imagine are robust to begin with.

 

It can backfire from the standpoint that it gets him off on the wrong foot with the NFL, especially in a year where the league has a new draft venue and has it on in prime time and they want to hype the shit out of it. Not having the No. 1 pick there doesn't help that.

I don't think the Bucs care, but Goodell and the league will be pissed and it will hurt him from a PR standpoint.

It shouldn't, but for a player with Winston's past, it probably will. I don't think it would have been as big of a deal if Eric Fisher had skipped the draft two years ago.

 

There's no way this is a bad decision for Winston. Better to not go than to potentially have rape questions asked to you on live TV.
And I doubt the NFL offices actually give a shit about it. If I were them, I'd prefer he not show up, for the same reason. Once he starts playing, history shows the questions about the past behavioral stuff will go down. But until he plays games, that will be the story. If I'm the NFL I'm not mad if he's in front of a mic as little as possible.