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Steelers Colbert Wants Draft ‘Leaks’ To Stop, Do You Agree?

By Craig Gottschalk

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The Steelers are entering the final phases of preparation before the beginning of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Amongst the hours of team preparation are the even more massive amounts of hours doing mocks and the ever churning draft rumor mill. The rumor mill leaks info out to the general populace with such things as failed drug tests, injuries, among other things that could hamstring (no pun intended) a draftee’s stock.

Colbert strongly dislikes the leaking of information, and wants it to stop. At his annual pre-draft presser with Steelers HC Mike Tomlin, Colbert said of the ‘leaks,’

"I think it’s horrible. I think it’s really bad for our profession when people use whatever means they use to get information out to try to influence the draft and they talk about a kid’s test score, a kid’s injury, a kid’s character. I think that’s awful. It’s disrespectful to our profession, it’s disrespectful to the game, it’s disrespectful to the kid…And knowing that we really don’t pay attention to it. We don’t believe in mock drafts and what people are saying about other teams because so much of it is misinformation. You’d just lose your mind trying to figure out what everyone’s going to do. We’re going to be true to what we do and feel good about it and live with it."

I’m a little on the fence about Colbert’s stance.

On the one hand, I don’t necessarily like the idea of a team spreading misinformation about someone that could impact the amount of money they make when entering the league.

There are literally millions of dollars at stake between a first round mid-round selection and someone who slides to late in the second round.

What I take issue with Colbert’s statement in general is that he is blanketing all ‘leaked’ info as misinformation. Well I can tell you that the leak about Randy Gregory failing a drug test while at the NFL Combine is not really misinformation – there was pee. There was a cup. There were results.

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I think that kind of information is important. Even as a fan.

At the end of the day, a fan of the NFL is a consumer of a product. The Steelers manufacture the product that I consume in numerous ways. If the guy who is in charge of creating the product through personnel choices is bringing in parts that jeopardize that product, then I want to know about it.

Colbert may want to keep Gregory’s drug test under wraps because then he would have to answer questions about Gregory’s past ad nauseam. Through the eyes of the fan, he would be held somewhat accountable for drafting such a risk were Gregory to become a bust or have continued drug problems during his career.

Colbert won’t admit that line of thinking, even if it were true.

But, that’s where I draw the line with leaks. Misinformation = bad. Info that informs accurately the player’s past = fair game.

Can anyone discern between the two? Anything that can be objective like a drug test, absolutely.

Besides, I would think the NFL or NCAA would try and come out against any kind of ‘false’ information or ‘misinformation.’ Doesn’t that kind of stuff fall under tampering and is therefore illegal?

But I’m guessing this is the kind of garbage that Colbert is talking about….

What are your thoughts?

Next: Did You Know The Steelers Need A Cornerback?

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