It's an awesome responsibility, not only to maintain the level of success the NFL has, but to build on that.
I don't want players coming in from the college level that are either trying to avoid a suspension, declare themselves ineligible on their own, hire an agent and decide, 'I'm going to enter into the NFL.'
My goal was to prove to my family I wasn't a dummy.
The draft is one of my favorite events because it is about football. People are focused on how their teams improve. It's a celebration of football. And most importantly, it represents a very important time in the lives of these men who are entering the NFL, and their families.
When you're thrust into litigation, you obviously have to make sure you're prepared to deal with that.
We're in a leadership position in sports. People look up to the National Football League.
I learned in high school that I was going to have to outwork people. I remember running around the track, training for football, and a faster guy ran past me. I just figured, I can outlast him. If I work harder than him, I'll beat him. And to this day I overprepare.
It's not just the NFL. Every other league has a draft. It has been fundamental to the success of professional sports.
You know that I'm always a proponent of doing things differently.
You do not have to be convicted or even charged of a crime to be able to demonstrate that you've violated a personal conduct policy, and reflect poorly not only on themselves, but all of their teammates, every NFL player in the league, and everyone associated with the NFL.
