During about an hour’s worth of interviews with the media on the third day of the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Ryan Mallett was very cold with reporters as they peppered him with questions about whispers of his alleged drug use. The following is from a report by Yahoo! Sports Jason Cole:
Mallett walked away from the podium leaving the questions hanging unanswered in a series of bumbling, and sometimes pompous, replies that had reporters shaking their heads.
Mallett started off defensive and then repeatedly bobbed and weaved his way around the drug questions. He neither denied nor admitted use. Fair or not, some might conclude that the rumors are true.
The very first question in the interview was about the allegations, which shouldn’t have been a surprise. But it seemed that way to Mallett.
“First question, huh?” Mallett said, perhaps expecting that a bouquet of flowers was headed his direction. He then said, “When I saw that stuff, I laughed about it.”
After that came a series of further half-baked answers that led to more inquiries.
“I said I’m not going to talk about it here,” Mallett said, indicating that he would answer the questions only to NFL teams. Keeping secrets in the NFL about drug use is about as likely as growing palm trees on an iceberg.
Mallett then played the blame game, saying, “Obviously, someone did that for a reason, right before the combine.” In reality, the rumors about Mallett have been swirling for months.
Then there was this cocky gem of an answer to questions about his decision-making on the field. Many around the NFL have been troubled by Mallett’s propensity for big mistakes in critical moments. When asked how he answers those concerns, Mallett said: “Seven thousand-plus yards and 60 touchdowns in two seasons. That’s how I respond to that.”
Jim Druckenmiller, Andre Ware and David Klingler are among dozens of guys who have put up stats like that in college only to do nothing in the NFL.
Still, the daunting question about Mallett came back to the alleged drug use. He stonewalled again and again until he was asked bluntly: “This question isn’t going away until you answer. Why not just answer it?”
“Because I don’t want to talk about it,” Mallett said.
Mallett doesn’t seem to get it. His biggest problem isn’t the nature of the rumor. It’s that he wasn’t upfront. He wasn’t candid. No one was expecting him to detail his problems to the media, if he indeed has them. But at least own up to making mistakes in a general sense if you’re not refuting the claims.
If Mallett had said something like, “Yes, I’ve made mistakes and I’m working to correct them,” the questions would largely go away. Instead, Mallett looked like the antithesis of a leader.
In a profession where handling yourself in front of critics – sometimes 80,000 of them on a Sunday afternoon – is a prerequisite, Mallett flopped.
It wasn’t long ago that many experts thought Mallett could possibly be the #1 overall pick in April’s draft. But with the negative press he’s been receiving lately, many mock drafts have him falling to the third round. And after today’s interview session, one has to wonder why he keeps digging himself into a deeper hole.
Mallett is expected to throw for the scouts, coaches, and general managers Sunday. He’ll need quite an impressive performance to atone for today’s awful show in front of the reporters.
Source: Yahoo! Sports
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