Report: Draft prospect Raji failed drug test at combine
SI.com is reporting that Boston College defensive tackle prospect B.J. Raji failed a drug test at the NFL scouting combine in February.
According to the NFL’s drug policy, a positive test for street drugs, which includes marijuana, puts a player into the initial stage of the NFL’s drug program. He’s then subject to random testing and subject to a fine or suspension if he tests positive again.
How this affects Raji’s draft grade remains to be seen. He missed the 2007 college season with academic issues, returned to Boston College and had a terrific senior campaign, recording eight sacks and 42 tackles, with 16 tackles for loss. He was a dominant force during the week of practice at the Senior Bowl and continued his momentum up draft boards after turning in good combine and pro-day workouts. His performances the past three months have some scouts believing he’ll be taken in the top third of the first round of the April 25 draft.
One source familiar with the positive drug test assessed Raji’s draft prospects by saying, “It’s a roll of the dice. If Raji stays clean and plays to his potential, you could have a dominant defensive lineman on your team. Then again, it does nobody any good if the kid is on the sidelines serving a suspension for a failed test.”
As the article notes, Warren Sapp tested positive for drugs before the 1995 draft and obviously he turned out just fine. But this obviously is horrible timing for Raji, whose draft stock couldn’t have been higher following excellent pre-draft workouts. My guess is that he’ll still be selected in the top 15, but this no doubt raises some red flags about his character.
I think news like this is way overrated. This doesn’t raise questions about the kid’s character in my mind unless there were other red flags (legal trouble, etc.) that already had people concerned. But if this is just an isolated incident for a guy who’s never been viewed as a potential problem, the only thing I question is his decision making. Smoking pot doesn’t automatically make someone a bad person, despite what a lot of people would have you believe. But smoking it during the most important time in Raji’s life certainly qualifies as a boneheaded decision.
I think the problem is, Jamey, is that he was also busted during his senior year as I’m finding out. He also missed his entire junior year because of an academic situation, so there have some other small issues.
But I agree – smoking pot doesn’t make you a bad person. But if he was doing it before the combine, I think Raji isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer.
I must have blown right past the academic problems when I first read the post. In this case, there’s a pattern here that is certainly a little unsettling, especially for a team taking him in the top-10 or 15.
We don’t know that he tested positive for Mary Jane, do we? It could have been some other drug…
If the kids fires up a doobie once in a while, I like him more. Pot does stay in your system for up to six weeks depending highly on the fat levels of your body. The guy does have some heft to his body, so he could have smoked weeks before the combine and still tested positive. We also have to remember that these dudes are in college and are more likely to experiment or be naughty. I would still like to have him on my team.