CHICAGO -- An unauthorized video posted to Laremy Tunsil's Twitter feed just before the beginning of the 2016 NFL Draft cast a cloud on what was expected to be a night of affirmation for the former Ole Miss left tackle, and appeared to have a role in his fall to the Miami Dolphins with the No. 13 overall pick of the draft.
The video shows Tunsil smoking from a bong through a gas mask.
"It was a mistake. It happened years ago. Like I've said before, somebody hacked my Twitter account, and that's how it got on there. It's a crazy world, but things happen for a reason," Tunsil said on NFL Network after the Dolphins stopped his slide. "I'm glad to be in Miami. I'm going to work my butt off there and give everything I've got."
The video resulted in some NFL clubs taking Tunsil off their draft boards.
Dolphins GM Chris Grier said after selecting Tunsil on Thursday that the team "had known" about the video.
"We had heard rumors, but we had done work," Grier said. "We had known about it. The video is two years old. So, from all the information we had, we were comfortable with it."
Once thought to be the likely No. 1 overall pick of the Tennessee Titans, Tunsil fell out of contention for the distinction when the Los Angeles Rams traded up to take quarterback Jared Goff with the top selection. As it turned out, he wasn't even the first tackle drafted, or even the Titans' first choice at tackle, for that matter. Notre Dame OT Ronnie Stanley went to the Baltimore Ravens at No. 6, and the Titans traded up to No. 8 overall to take Michigan State OT Jack Conklin.
Tunsil said he was unaware of the video until he reached the draft green room. Tunsil declined to suggest who might have hacked his account.
"I don't know who it was, I'm not going to point any fingers or say any names, but my Twitter account got hacked," Tunsil said. "... I'm going to show everybody what type of person I am. I'm a great person despite all the mistakes."
When Tunsil held a press conference later on Thursday, things took another strange turn.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
