(Adam Richins for BSJ)
NFL Combine, Day 2 updates: Patriots, Kraft don't show well in NFLPA poll; arrest warrant issued for top pick Jalen Carer
Updating newsier bits from the second day of access in Indianapolis. Wednesday is heavy on coaches and executives speaking from the podium.
The NFLPA has issued team report cards for several categories to help players when they are looking to change teams.
"For many years, players have brought up the idea of creating a 'Free Agency Guide,' which would contain information that can help illuminate what that daily experience is like for players and their families from team to team. If knowledge is really power, then providing players with information about each club would not only help them make important career decisions, but it would also help raise the standards across each club."
The Patriots did not do well in this.
"Overview
The New England Patriots ranked 24th in our team guide. The player respondents’ feedback from our survey described the club’s facility as old, dated and in need of renovation. The staffing of the current facilities was also flagged as an issue in need of improvement, specifically in the weight room and training room. The player respondents’ indicated that facilities and operations at the Patriots can use a refresh.
Given the results, it is understandable that only 64% of players believe club owner Robert Kraft is willing to spend the money necessary for upgrades, ranking him 26th in this category."
The Vikings, Dolphins and Raiders ranked at the top. Cardinals (last), Bengals, Jaguars, Commanders, Chargers and Jaguars brought up the rear. Their ownership groups are routinely viewed as the cheapest in the league annually.
Arrest warrant issued for top prospect DT Jalen Carter
Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, projected as one of the top players in next month’s NFL draft, has been charged with reckless driving and racing in conjunction with the crash that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and a recruiting staff member.
The Athens-Clarke County Police Department has issued an arrest warrant, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, that alleges Carter was racing his 2021 Jeep Trackhawk against the 2021 Ford Expedition driven by the recruiting staffer, 24-year-old Chandler LeCroy, which led to the Jan. 15 wreck.
Carter had been due in Indianapolis on Wednesday for the NFL’s scouting combine, and he is expected to address the arrest warrant when he returns to Athens, according to Lt. Shaun Barnett of the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.
“It is my understanding that Mr. Carter is making arrangements to turn himself in,” Barnett said in an e-mail to the AP.
Carter, one of six players who was not present Wednesday for scheduled media interviews at the combine, issued a statement on his Twitter account saying he expects to be “fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing.”
“This morning I received a telephone call from the Athens, Georgia, police department informing me that two misdemeanor warrants have been issued against me for reckless driving and racing,” Carter said. “Numerous media reports also have circulated this morning containing inaccurate information concerning the tragic events of January 15, 2023. It is my intention to return to Athens to answer the misdemeanor charges against me and to make certain that the complete and accurate truth is presented. There is no question in my mind that when all of the facts are known that I will be fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing.”
BSJ ANALYSIS
On the NFLPA report .