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Mel Kiper, Jr. has been a staple of ESPN’s annual NFL draft coverage since way back in 1984, making one of, if not the most well-known and respected NFL draft pundits working today. Haircut be damned, he is.
So a very clear claim of impropriety on Kiper’s part by former first round pick Lawrence Jackson, dating back to the 2008 NFL draft, is certainly cause for concern where players coming out of college and hoping to be drafted in the early rounds are concerned.
It all began when NFL Network’s Rich Eisen, columnist Jason Whitlock and former NFL lineman Geoff Schwartz posted tweets commenting on the New York Times exposé regarding thousands of famous people buying millions of fake Twitter followers.
Proud to say I’ve built up my Twitter following through years of spending countless hours on my phone, generally shirking responsibilities and diligently exhibiting anti-social behavior around family, friends and co-workers but never once by buying them.
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) January 27, 2018
I was told to buy followers once (I didn’t) and I’m very very very low in the twitter universe totem pole. I assumed after celebs build up a following, they start buying followers https://t.co/DvWKKj9L19
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) January 28, 2018
That is true. I had a PR guy who told me to buy followers but I didn’t. He could have easily done it himself if I didn’t have as much control of my twitter as I had.
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) January 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/WhitlockJason/status/957352775293140992
And that’s when 2008 Seattle Seahawks first-round pick, defensive end Lawrence Jackson, decided to break out this heater.
“Mel Kiper has greased pockets. That’s why the big board always has some whaaaaat names. I had an agent promise to get me atop his big board.”
Mel Kiper has greased pockets. That’s why the big board always has some whaaaaat names. I had an agent promise to get me atop his big board. https://t.co/gC51fCKCpH
— Lawrence Jackson (@LoJackson94) January 28, 2018
That’s what an agent offered me.
— Lawrence Jackson (@LoJackson94) January 28, 2018
I saw someone get drafted in the 1st that shouldn’t have that was one of his guys. https://t.co/e0FTSIK7Ss
— Lawrence Jackson (@LoJackson94) January 28, 2018
That “whaaaaat” name Jackson seems to be referring to is former 49ers defensive tackle and 2008 first round draft pick Kentwan Balmer, according to Niners Nation. Balmer was ranked far higher on Kiper’s mock draft board than most every other pundit.
Balmer was also represented by agent Gary Wichard. The same Wichard who Sports Illustrated implicated as being part of a payoff scandal by former football agent Josh Luchs back in 2010. Something Jackson is apparently well aware of having taken place.
— Lawrence Jackson (@LoJackson94) January 28, 2018
ESPN reportedly “looked into” the allegations, but I couldn’t locate anything online about whether Kiper had ever been punished.
Not that any of this matters at this point since Kiper will be retiring very soon anyway, right, Mel?
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