Most NFL teams discourage prospects from ending up in jail, but Fernando Mendoza revealed that one team was telling him to try and end up behind bars.
The end goal?
Allowing him to drop a bit in the draft, presumably so that the team could take Mendoza.
The Indiana quarterback is projected to go No. 1 overall after helping to lead the Hoosiers to a national championship this past season, and plenty of NFL teams would do just about anything for the chance to draft Mendoza.
Speaking with CBS Sports on Friday, Mendoza said one team jokingly suggested he get himself arrested to fall down the draft board.
“It was, ‘hey, maybe you should get arrested,’ and I was a little confused, but then I was like, the slide … so you could slide in the draft,” Mendoza responded when asked what the strangest question he’d gotten at the NFL combine was.
Mendoza added later: “So, hopefully I don’t get arrested.”
The future NFL star didn’t reveal what team it was that made the comment, though he did indicate it was not said during a formal interview.
Mendoza received quite the reception while at the combine in Indianapolis.
The Heisman Trophy winner was given a loud cheer from the fans inside Lucas Oil Stadium last Sunday when he showed up in the building.
Mendoza did not participate in any drills at the combine, but he joined the other quarterbacks on the field during the position group’s on-field testing.
Mendoza threw for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns this past season, while also throwing just six interceptions.
He was part of the first Indiana football team to win a national championship in the program’s history.
The draft will take place from April 23-25 in Pittsburgh, with the Raiders, Jets and Cardinals slated to make the first three picks.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
