Colts GM Chris Ballard Goes on Epic NSFW Rant About Adonai Mitchell Reports
Georgia wide receiver Adonai Mitchell was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the No. 52 pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday.
When Colts general manager Chris Ballard discussed the pick with the media on Friday night, he went on an expletive-filled rant about reports regarding Mitchell's off-the-field issues. He apologized for the NSFW language as he continued his tirade.
"I don't know. I mean, I read some of the bulls--- that was said on [TV]," Ballard said. "... Our typical [league] with unnamed sources. You know, bad interview. That's such bulls---. I mean it f---ing is. It's bulls---. ... Like, put your name on it.
"We tear these young men down. These are 21, 22-year-old men and if you can—if people out there can tell me they're perfect in their lives, it's crap. Crap. This is a good kid. And for those reports to come out—heck you know, I've said it last year. It's bulls---. I'm sorry. I apologize for the language."
Ballard did not cite any specific examples, but Mitchell appeared to get a bad shake in a recent column by Bob McGinn on GoLongTD.com. While discussing the wide receivers and tight ends available in the 2024 draft, McGinn shared some unflattering quotes from anonymous sources about Mitchell. Scouts had issues with Mitchell's performance in workouts and his willingness to be measured and timed.
Per McGinn's report, scouts criticized the way Mitchell—a Type 1 diabetic—managed his condition at times.
“When his blood sugar’s off, he’s rude, he’s abrasive, he doesn’t pay attention in meetings," the scout anonymously said. "It’s why you get really, really s---ty character reports coming out of Georgia and Texas. But when his stuff is normal, and they get him normal by lunch time, he’s out at practice high energy, best practice player, loves football.”
Mitchell also was called a "wild horse," "boom or bust" and "almost uncoachable," in the report [h/tSteelers Depot].
Clearly, Ballard doesn't take much stock in those reports as he spent a second-round pick on Mitchell to give quarterback Anthony Richardson another offensive weapon in the Colts' offense.
