"Mr. Irrelevant" is the brainchild of former USC and NFL wide receiver Paul Salata, with whom I had the opportunity to speak during the waning moments of the 2008 NFL Draft. I also spoke with Paul's daughter, who runs Mr. Irrelevant Week, a series of events offered to the final pick as a way to support to the little guy, the underdog. In 1988, Jeff Bethard was Mr. Irrelevant, selected by the Rams, but only because Bethard had personal ties to the Rams, which traded down to select him so that Bethard could enjoy the perks that come along with being the final pick. A cruise, banquet, trip to Disneyland, et cetera. Shortly thereafter, the NFL enacted a rule disallowing teams the ability to trade the Draft's final pick. At least that's what Paul's daughter told me.
The story doesn't end there, though, because no NFL Draft (or any NFL event, for that matter) would be complete without finding an excuse to put Bill Belichick on Mac Blast. In 2005, Andy Stokes (William Penn University) was selected as Mr. Irrelevant by the New England Patriots. Paul's daughter told me that Belichick refused to allow Stokes to attend the week-long celebration, and only relented when Commissioner Tagliabue forced his hand. Belichick told the kid he could go, but that had to be back on Wednesday morning by 7:30 a.m. for practice. (The banquet was Tuesday night in Southern California.) Stokes showed up for practice at the team's facility, and the door was locked; the facilities were empty. There was never a practice scheduled for that day. Coach Belichick was just being a jerkstore.
- Dewey
The story doesn't end there, though, because no NFL Draft (or any NFL event, for that matter) would be complete without finding an excuse to put Bill Belichick on Mac Blast. In 2005, Andy Stokes (William Penn University) was selected as Mr. Irrelevant by the New England Patriots. Paul's daughter told me that Belichick refused to allow Stokes to attend the week-long celebration, and only relented when Commissioner Tagliabue forced his hand. Belichick told the kid he could go, but that had to be back on Wednesday morning by 7:30 a.m. for practice. (The banquet was Tuesday night in Southern California.) Stokes showed up for practice at the team's facility, and the door was locked; the facilities were empty. There was never a practice scheduled for that day. Coach Belichick was just being a jerkstore.
- Dewey
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