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As every NFL fan knows very, very well, the league likes to micromanage the hell out of, well, pretty much everything.
Goodell and company are especially persnickety when it comes to how players look when appearing in public while representing the league. Make sure those pants are long enough, OBJ!
So it should come as little surprise that the NFL is already sinking its claws into players who have yet to play in an actual game: the guys who are getting set to be selected in the 2020 NFL Draft.
This year’s NFL Draft, thanks to the ongoing, never-ending pandemic that’s shut all sports down (except in Florida where professional wrestling has been deemed “essential” because… Florida), will be conducted online.
In addition to dragging Bill Belichick slowly into the 21st century, this “virtual” NFL Draft will see commissioner Roger Goodell announcing the first round of picks from his basement.
NFL fans are sharing Roger Goodell’s address so he can be booed while announcing draft picks from his home.
Ruthless. https://t.co/eZPDOucA3d
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) April 14, 2020
Which also means that NFL draft prospects like Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Chase Young, and 54 others will also be at home with cameras on them. They just have to be very careful about what clothing they will be wearing when they appear on camera, according to The Action Network.
“Do NOT have any products displaying brands or logos that have not been approved by the NFL within camera range of your feed for the NFL Draft broadcast,” reads a memo sent to 58 NFL Draft prospects.
Players’ clothing is also being closely dictated: They cannot wear logos of any brand other than an NFL team or an official league partner such as Nike, Adidas, Under Armour or New Era. Their clothing is also expected to be clean, free of liberal or hate speech, and cannot make a political statement. References to alcohol, drugs or gambling (including poker) are prohibited as well.
Prospective draftees will receive a welcome kit of products from NFL partners, including the following PepsiCo products: Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Bubly, Gatorade and Frito Lay snacks such as Cheetos, Doritos and Tostitos. Mars candy will also be included, which means Skittles, Snickers and M&M’s.
Prospective draftees will also be given communication kits and are asked not to wear any other personal devices.
This is very interesting considering that none of these players technically work for the NFL yet, yet the league gets around it by claiming their appearance during the Draft is their property.
And if they think they won’t be fined for sneaking a non-approved product placement into the shot, they should know that the NFL has no problem fining players who haven’t actually made any money in the league.