“Allergic Reaction” Keeps Tunsil From Media

For all the hype and anticipation that comes with the NFL draft, the biggest event of the football offseason has come and gone before most have had a chance to acknowledge it. Things move fast for rookies, and for controversial first-rounder Laremy Tunsil, it was all too much for his body to handle.

Tunsil apparently suffered an allergic reaction right around the time of his scheduled press conference after being drafted by the Miami Dolphins. As yet, the reason for the reaction is undetermined, but Tunsil said he might have eaten something that led to the problem.

Whether the reasoning was a ruse or not, it’s easy to understand why the Dolphins would be at least a little protective of their newest star. Minutes before the draft officially opened on Thursday night, footage emerged on Tunsil’s own Twitter account, showing the Ole Miss offensive lineman smoking marijuana from an enormous apparatus, complete with gas mask.

The shocking development caused Tunsil to slip from a top-five certainty all the way to thirteenth overall, and into the eager arms of a Miami team desperate for some pass protection for Ryan Tannehill, who may be clinging to his final lifeline as a starter in 2016.

Teams with huge needs at offensive line like the Chargers and Ravens balked on Tunsil following the “hack.” Baltimore even opted to use the sixth overall pick on Ronnie Stanley – a less polished but decidedly more clean cut prospect, and one many expected to be something of an understudy to Tunsil in this draft.

When Tunsil did finally take the stand, his answers were wholly nonchalant and dismissive, repeatedly asserting that he was “here to talk about football” and “just happy to be drafted.”

One thing’s for sure: the attempted sabotage was a premeditated act, and one that provided an interesting look into exactly how much of a role character concerns have in where an otherwise elite talent is drafted. After a while, the scales must tip in favor of reward, not risk. When the dust settled, Miami was the beneficiary of a day-one starter, albeit under the most unlikely of circumstances.