Jaylon Ferguson – Noteworthy
NFL wielded its heavy-handed power Wednesday afternoon, and as a result, the NCAA’s all-time career sack leader won’t participate in the upcoming scouting combine beginning March 1. After a mandatory background check revealed a simple battery conviction after a fight at a McDonald’s during his freshman year as well as a public intoxication charge, the league pulled its combine invitation for Louisiana Tech defensive end Jaylon Ferguson per the NFL’s personal conduct rule that was enacted three years ago. According to an NFL.com report, teams were informed last month that the league would bar players from the combine if a “background check reveals a conviction of felony or misdemeanor involving violence.” Players who accept combine invites automatically agree to a background check by rule.
Ferguson’s agent Safarrah Lawson with the STL Sports Group released a statement Thursday morning, denouncing the disinvite, stating that the Louisiana Tech star had made his penitence from his past mistakes. “We disagree with the NFL’s position with regards to Jaylon Ferguson,” the statement read. “Jaylon is a great person who made a mistake four years ago before he started playing college football. He was involved in a scuffle that resulted in him being charged with misdemeanor simple battery. He received a deferred judgment and a $189 fine, a proper punishment for a fight between two teenagers,” the statement said. – Monroe News Star