On Saturday morning, we received an e-mail from a trusted source indicating that an agent with a recognizable name was cuffed, detained, and removed from Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday after using a sponsor’s credential to gain access.
We contacted the agent in question, who strongly denied the allegation. The league denied it, too.
Later in the day, we received word from an eyewitness who saw the agent with what initially was described as a player’s credential. The second source later clarified that it was a sponsor’s credential, and the second source said that the agent was handcuffed temporarily.
The agent once again strongly denied it. The league once again denied it, too.
We then dispatched Rosenthal to sniff around Indy. He spoke with multiple security personnel at Lucas Oil Stadium, but no one admitted to knowing anything.
Rosenthal even asked Gil Brandt, the godfather of the Scouting Combine, if he had heard about the incident. Rosenthal said that Brandt seemed to be aware of the rumor, denied it, and was generally displeased that he was even asked about it.
The second source then said that not one but two agents were ejected. We’ve yet to contact the second agent.
The incident (if it occurred) happened on Friday, not Saturday. It happened in a restricted area but not during general combine workouts, which began today.
Notwithstanding the denials, the fact that the information came to us at two different times on Saturday from two different and disconnected sources is intriguing. We won’t name names unless and until a witness will go on the record. The agent business entails a high degree of competition and plenty of folks looking for negative things that can be used against their competitors, and they often attempt to manipulate the media in an effort to advance their agendas.