NFL Executive Troy Vincent Compares NFL Combine to “Slave Auction”

A new report claims that NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent described the NFL Combine as a “slave auction” in a meeting with team owners.

Vincent previously played in the NFL at cornerback for 15 years with the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, and Washington Redskins. He was a 5-time Pro Bowler and had nearly 800 combined tackles over his career. He also had 12 forced fumbles, 9 fumble recoveries, 47 interceptions, three touchdowns, and nearly 200 passes deflected.

He became Executive Vice President of Football Operations in 2014.

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CBS Sports claims, “Vincent referred to the NFL scouting combine as having characteristics of a ‘slave auction,’ multiple people present in the room told CBS Sports.”

Vincent did provide a description of the meeting with owners to the media saying, “We just feel like the overall experience, talking to the players, we can be better in that particular aspect. So there was, I would say, a good discussion around what that looks like, where we could be, keeping in mind that the combine is the player’s first experience with the National Football League, and in that experience, there has to be dignity.”

He added, “It’s a great opportunity for the young men, but there has to be some form of dignity and level of dignity and respect as they go through that process. That was the overall theme around our combine [discussion.]”

Vincent isn’t the first to compare the the NFL Combine to a slave auction. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback turned left-wing activist Colin Kaepernick made the comparison back in November 2021.

Kaepernick made the comparison as part of Netflix’s Colin in Black & White docuseries. He says in the series, “Before they put you on the field, teams poke, prod, and examine you. Searching for any defect that might affect your performance. No boundary respected. No dignity left intact.”

A rendition of a slave auction then plays.

Watch as @Kaepernick7 equates the NFL combine to a slave auction in his new documentary on Netflix.

The “Colin Kaepernick doctrine” is “sick and disgusting,” @JackBrewerBSI tells @BuckSexton. pic.twitter.com/mZmYXpipag

— The First (@TheFirstonTV) November 2, 2021

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CBS Sports reports that a number of owners did not take kindly to Vincent’s comparison of the Combine to a slave auction. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank reportedly took offense and “took umbrage with the idea that he was either taking part in or helping to prop up an event that could be considered racist.”

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also took issue with Vincent’s comments where he described the Combine as an “opportunity” for the approximate 300 college football players that are invited.

Art Rooney II, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, also commented on the necessity of the Combine and how it provides information for teams to make informed decisions about who they are going to draft.

What do you make of Vincent comparing his own organization’s Combine as a “slave auction”?

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