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Report: NFL scout accuses Luke Fickell of lying about access to Wisconsin Badgers practices

NFL scouts are doubling down reports that Luke Fickell won't let them watch Wisconsin Badgers football practices. One went as far as to say the head coach is lying about it.
Lorin Cox|
Former Wisconsin nose tackle Keeanu Benton goes through drills as an NFL scouts looks on during the Badgers pro day at the McClain Center in Madison, Wis. on Thursday March 22, 2023
Former Wisconsin nose tackle Keeanu Benton goes through drills as an NFL scouts looks on during the Badgers pro day at the McClain Center in Madison, Wis. on Thursday March 22, 2023 | Mark Stewart / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

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The dispute between Luke Fickell and NFL scouts is growing.

The disagreement has become a "he said, he said" situation, now escalating to accusations of lying.

It started Saturday morning when NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler from The Athletic reported that the Wisconsin Badgers were "shutting NFL scouts out of practice," which was forcing them to have to come to games to scout their players.

Fickell was asked about the report after the game, and he denied it. He seemed surprised that it even came up.

"No, we have NFL scouts there almost every single day," he said. "Maybe they can't watch the whole practice on a Wednesday, but my goodness, we don't even have much of a restriction."

Accusation of lying

On Monday, ESPN senior NFL writer Kalyn Kahler added to Brugler's report, confirming with several scouts that have had practices closed to them at various points throughout the year.

She quoted one scout directly, speaking anonymously about Fickell: "He knows he’s lying."

That's quite an accusation against an embattled head coach who made it clear that the Badgers have more to worry about right now than trying to limit scouts access to practice.

But now it's coming from multiple sources and multiple scouts, putting their word against Fickell's.

At some point, he'll have another public response to the allegations, and the back-and-forth drama will continue.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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