If there was ever a lesson in what NOT to do with your social media, this is it. Get the latest on the Ole Miss player who went from top draft pick at last night's NFL Draft to damn near losing it all in a matter of MINUTES...
[UPDATE]: Miami Dolphins said in a statement today, "We had known about it. The video is two years old. So from all the information we had, we were comfortable with it."
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The most bizarre ish went down at last night's NFL Draft kick off in Chicago. Ole Miss football player Laremy Tunsil got the biggest lesson in ish not to do with your social media. He was named as one of the top football players in the country who was set to be drafted 1st, and as he officially entered last night's NFL Draft, his status immediately plummeted.
About 10 minutes before the start of the draft (if you've seen the movie Draft Day, you know every minute matters and moves by teams change drastically from minute to minute), video of 21-year-old Laremy smoking weed in a gas mask popped up on his Twitter feed.
The Tennessee Titans, who had the first pick, were heavily predicted to take Laremy....until they saw that ish.
Despite someone (maybe Laremy) quickly deleting the video, teams passed on calling his name most of the night. Then, screenshots of text messages popped up on his Instagram account that showed him asking for money from his coaches. Money being given to players by coaches/boosters/etc. are a HUGE no-no in high school and NCAA sports. Apparently he needed his rent paid (it's unclear whether his scholarship paid for this or not as full athletic scholarships often do) and $305 for his mother's utility bill.
The Baltimore Ravens were set to take him on pick number 6, but they changed their board immediately and passed on him.
Just when it looked like dude was about to be jobless, the Miami Dolphins picked him up at number 13.
After all that drama, he did a press conference late last night claiming his accounts were hacked. He owned up to everything saying those things happened, and they were mistakes. He also admitted up to taking money previously.
According to The Clarion-Ledger:
Tunsil missed the first seven games of the 2015 season for receiving the use of three loaner vehicles over a six-month period without payment; a four-month, interest-free promissory note on a $3,000 down payment for buying a used vehicle; two nights at a local home; an airline ticket purchased by a friend of a teammate; and one-day use of a rental car.
In real time, teams were taking him off their draft boards because this was a completely unprecedented occurrence. They were also reportedly scared about what else could possibly come out if a family member or close friend or anyone would do something like this to his account. But Miami decided to take the chance. He's set to get an approx. $12.4 mill 4-year contract. It could have been double that had he gone #1 as predicted.
By the way, Laremy's own stepfather filed a lawsuit against him the day before the draft! He claims Laremy attacked him last June and also defamed his character.
Here are the texts and video captured before they were deleted:
LAREMY TUNSIL SMOKING OFF A GAS MASK pic.twitter.com/3hnGA9tK3r
— Kev (@ImNotLit) April 28, 2016
Keep your enemies close, and your passwords closer.
Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski, USA TODAY Sports
