WONDERLIC LEAK COULD COME FROM ONLY A NARROW GROUP OF SOURCES

We embark on this path with some trepidation, mindful of the unwritten rule that journalists shouldn’t speculate about each other’s sources. (Then again, I ain’t a journalist.) The recent leak of the 2009 Wonderlic scores to Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune is raising eyebrows -- Dan Patrick devoted a few minutes to the topic earlier today. After Vince Young’s single-digit debacle made its way to this here joint three years ago, the league placed heavy restrictions on the dissemination of the information. Per a league source, the NFL delivers the Wonderlic scores via hand-carried pouch to one person per team, usually the G.M., the team president, or the director of player personnel. “The scores are kept separate and from all the other Combine data, which is sent to teams electronically via the Internet,” the source said. “There are no electronic files and only one hard copy per team.” So, basically, Pompei’s source likely is someone who operates at a very high level with one of the teams -- and who is willing to disregard the league’s clear directive to keep the information secret. (Alternatively, someone who operates at a very high level with one of the teams has not safeguarded the information, allowing someone at a lower level to get their mitts on the numbers. Or, possibly, the leaker is employed by the league office or the Combine.) As Dan Patrick pointed out, at some point a player might refuse to take the test. But, as Patrick also pointed out, refusing to sit for the Wonderlic would create an even bigger red flag than a low score. Also, if a player were to post a ridiculously low score (like, say, a zero) and if the disclosure were to make the player radioactive to the point that no one will draft him or sign him as a free agent, the player might be inclined to file suit for invasion of privacy. Then again, the player who gets a zero on the Wonderlic would have problems far more significant than whether other people know about it.