Combine organizer: Players' trashed hotel room included feces scattered in bathroom
There's a curious and somewhat disgusting case of whodunit being investigated by approximately a dozen NFL teams.
National Football Scouting president Jeff Foster, who runs the NFL scouting combine, confirmed that a hotel room was left trashed during the February 2013 event in Indianapolis. However, Foster refused to identify the two players who shared the room for three nights, though sources have indicated that one of the two prospects is a potential first-round pick in next week's NFL draft.
Foster said nothing was broken in the room, but the bathroom was in such bad shape that a manager from the Crowne Plaza where the players stayed took pictures and relayed them to him. The incident initially was reported by Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune over the weekend.
"I can confirm that a room was left in an inappropriate condition and we're disappointed by both players who occupied the room," Foster said. "There was no material damage to the room; otherwise we would be pursuing further action and really be trying to get to the bottom of the situation. It's just very disappointing, and the people we feel the worst for are the people at the Crowne Plaza who had to clean it up."
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The crude behavior included urine and feces scattered about the bathroom, toothpaste on the mirror and garbage strewn about the room. Among the garbage was partially eaten food left on one of the beds. The players to whom the room was registered have denied their involvement to NFL team representatives who have questioned them at their respective pro days, according to Foster and other sources close to the situation.
Foster said that at least 10 teams called him shortly after the incident was reported to him to do their due diligence on the matter. Foster said a couple more teams have called since, including one team that texted him over the weekend after Pompei's story had been published.
Foster said both agents for the respective players called shortly after their players had checked out of the room to give their denials. When Yahoo! Sports contacted two agents who were identified as the athletes' representatives, the agents denied their players were involved. There's a belief that such an embarrassing situation coming up so close to the draft could significantly impact their player's draft status.
“You’re messing with a guy’s life,” one agent said.
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This isn't the first odd combine incident experienced by Foster, who has run the combine for eight years. In 2009, eventual Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Andre Smith left the combine early before his scheduled drills without telling Foster or anyone on his staff.
However, much of that behavior has toned down over the years as the event has been covered in greater detail by the media, Foster said.
"I think guys do understand better than ever that this is a job interview and they are expected to conduct themselves in a more professional way," Foster said. "You want guys to be themselves, but at the same time, they need to understand there's an expectation."
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