NFL Combine throws up more than just physical tests

DERRIUS Guice was taken aback when asked “completely inappropriate” questions about his personal life at the NFL Combine.

Derrius Guice

ISIS knowledge and a higher power’s fandom weren’t the only perplexing questions NFL prospects were quizzed with at this year’s combine.

During a radio appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio this week, former Louisiana State University (LSU) running back Derrius Guice revealed he was asked if he likes men.

“I’d go in one room and a team would ask me, ‘Do you like men?’ just to see my reaction,” Guice recalled, via Sporting News. “They’d try to bring up one of my family members or somebody and tell me, ‘Hey, man, I heard your mum sells herself. How do you feel about that?’ Just random stuff like that to see how you respond.”

The Atlanta Falcons came under fire two years ago for asking cornerback Eli Apple about his sexual orientation.

“The Falcons coach, one of the coaches, was like, ‘So do you like men?’” Apple, 22, said at the time. “It was like the first thing he asked me. It was weird.”

The NFL dubbed the Falcons’ line of questioning “disappointing and clearly inappropriate”, vowing to look into it. Two years later, however, it appears some queries are still crossing the line.

“Some people really try to get in your head, man, and really just test your reaction and see what your reaction is going to be,” Guice, who is projected to be a first or second-round pick, said.

Derrius Guice was thrown some curveballs.

The NFL announced later it had begun investigating the questions Guice said he was asked, which the league called “completely inappropriate and wholly contrary to league workplace policies”.

“The NFL and its clubs are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees in a manner that is consistent with our commitment to diversity and inclusion, state and federal laws and the CBA. We are looking into the matter,” the NFL said in a statement.

“The league annually reminds clubs of these workplace policies that prohibit personnel from seeking information concerning a player’s sexual orientation.”

This isn’t the first time an LSU product has dealt with an unorthodox interview. Safety Jalen Mills was quizzed about his murder weapon of choice ahead of the 2016 draft.

“One question was, ‘If you wanted to kill a guy, would you kill him with a gun or a knife?’” Mills recalled to CBS.

Mills, who was taken in the seventh round by the Philadelphia Eagles, thought carefully about his response.

“If you choose the knife, now you’re killing for fun because you have to continuously stab someone, but a gun is quick,” he said.

The 2018 NFL Draft is next month in Arlington, Texas.

This story first appeared on the New York Post and was republished with permission.

Originally published as NFL Combine throws up more than just physical tests