Janoris Jenkins, no stranger to controversy during his college days, is finding more drama in the NFL.
Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports reported Thursday that Jenkins is at odds with the St. Louis Rams over a verbal pre-draft agreement that's impermissible according to terms of the collective bargaining agreement.
Before taking Jenkins in the second round of April's draft, Rams coach Jeff Fisher made the player's agent, Malik Shareef, promise that his client would hire a business manager to help him navigate his personal issues. Jenkins -- who finished his collegiate career at North Alabama after being dismissed by Florida -- has four children by three women, with another paternity battle apparently closing in.
Via four sources, Yahoo! reported Fisher specified Lou Taylor of Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group to advise Jenkins. Taylor denied being employed by Jenkins, though Yahoo! has obtained a document tying the player to the company.
The pre-draft conversation between Fisher and Jenkins' agent is "unheard of," according to an NFL Players Association source, and against the rules of the CBA. The league and NFLPA have contacted the Rams over the matter.
It gets more complicated. Jenkins reportedly only agreed to work with Taylor to placate the Rams. He has balked at the price of Taylor's services -- $120,000 over four years -- and reached out to an NFL representative at the rookie symposium to ask if the team could force him to choose an advisor.
That answer, of course, is no. Fisher's aggressive actions to put Jenkins on the right path might have landed the Rams in hot water.
