NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was unaware of the Twitter video posted Thursday that led multiple teams to remove Laremy Tunsil from their draft boards as the 2016 NFL Draft opened later that night. But had he known about the video at the time he greeted Tunsil on the stage following his selection by the Miami Dolphins, his words to the former Ole Miss star might not have been any different, Goodell told the Mike and Mike radio show Friday morning.
"I really wasn't (aware). It was quite a bit later in the first round when I first heard about it. We're just so busy, I didn't have a moment," Goodell said. "I wasn't aware of it, and I'm not sure I would have (said anything different to Tunsil) anyhow."
Tunsil is one of the elite talents in the draft and was thought to be the likely No. 1 overall choice by the Tennessee Titans before the club traded the pick earlier this month to the Los Angeles Rams, who chose quarterback Jared Goff of Cal with the selection. The video showed Tunsil smoking from a bong through a gas mask. Tunsil slipped to the Dolphins as the third offensive tackle selected, behind Notre Dame's Ronnie Stanley, chosen by the Baltimore Ravens at No. 6, and Michigan State's Jack Conklin (Titans, No. 8). The Ravens were among the teams to remove Tunsil from their draft board, according to NFL Media's Aditi Kinkhabwala.
Goodell noted the unpredictability regarding draft selections is among the factors that contribute to the excitement about the event.
"I think it's all part of what makes the draft so exciting. Clubs make decisions. They make decisions, and sometimes they take risks," Goodell said. "Sometimes they do the right things and sometimes they don't. We'll see. Hopefully he's going to turn out to be a great young player."
Tunsil's Instagram account was also hacked shortly after he was drafted, with a post purportedly showing texts between Tunsil and Ole Miss assistant athletic director John Miller, in which Tunsil asks for money to pay bills for himself and his mother. At his news conference Thursday, Tunsil acknowledged money had exchanged hands, which would be a violation of NCAA rules. Ole Miss released a statement Friday saying that the school would investigate the matter.
The video of Tunsil smoking from a bong could lead him to be referenced to the NFL's substance of abuse program. He's not currently in the program and there's no guarantee he'll be entered into it, an NFL spokesman told NFL Media's Jeff Darlington.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
