Derrius Guice's Draft Stock Reportedly Hurt By 'Do You Like Men' Question Saga

LSU Tigers running back Derrius Guice would be a first-round pick if it wasn’t for his immaturity, according to NFL.com.

Guice has never had legal trouble — he’s not known as a partier. He just has propensity to be “silly,” an anonymous offensive coordinator told NFL.com.

And the NFL won’t have that.

When looking for an example of that immaturity, an anonymous NFL executive cited Guice’s handling of an NFL team seemingly asking him, do you like men?

From the NFL.com piece:

" One issue teams had to dig into: Guice seemed to claim in a SiriusXM NFL Radio interview that teams asked him in combine interviews “do I like men” and whether his mom was a prostitute, sparking controversy and an NFL investigation that is still ongoing, per a league spokesman. But Guice has since indicated privately and to teams those questions weren’t really asked by NFL teams. “His explanation was that it was taken out of context,” one executive said. “There’s just a lot going on with him.” "

If there is, in fact, a lot going on with Guice, then that’s one thing. If Guice was never actually asked about his sexuality, then his comments are head-scratching.

But blaming Guice for an NFL team handling themselves inappropriately is idiotic. NFL teams are probably just concerned about fallout similar to what happened to the Atlanta Falcons after defensive assistant Marquand Manuel asked Eli Apple if he was gay during the pre-draft process. Manuel and Dan Quinn apologized for the situation.

What’s more, the premise of this NFL.com story is listing prospects who may require additional attention like Reuben Foster did. Foster was a top 10 prospect who slipped to No. 31 overall on draft day, and is now embroiled in three felony charges from allegations of domestic abuse. NFL.com’s list included cornerback Mike Hughes, who faced a sexual assault, defensive end Arden Key, who took a leave of absence from LSU to go to rehab for marijuana use, and receiver Antonio Callaway, who faced sexual assault allegations, a marijuana citation and third-degree felony charges for a credit card scam.

Which player is not like the others? Guice sticks out like the only thumb that isn’t sore.

Guice, who amassed 2,608 yards, 230 receiving yards and 29 total touchdowns in his final two college seasons, may have missed the gravity of his comments. But his actions weren’t wrong, even if they were somewhat naive.

The NFL seems to be doubling down on Guice. They’re treating him unfairly for a situation in which he may have gotten treated unfairly.