NFL Draft Might Skip Stetson Bennett IV; Is 'Entitlement' a Problem for Georgia QB?
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There are a few things about Stetson Bennett IV that are troubling ... including, to me, his recent quote about being "Stetson Bennett IV.''
It is now being suggested that Bennett - who skillfully guided Georgia to back-to-back national championships and winning two MVP trophies while throwing for a combined eight touchdowns and no interceptions in the two title games - might go undrafted in this month’s NFL Draft.
One of the reasons has always been in play; he's 5-11. That was always going to work against him.
And now comes a team exec as a source to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler who is noting that the QB's off-field issues are central to why he could go undrafted.
Not even Day 3? Not even as, say, a sixth- or seventh-round pick?
“To me, he’s clearly better than those other guys (in that tier),” the executive told Fowler. “He does some good stuff. But he might go undrafted. His pre-draft has not been good and there are questions about whether he’ll be the pro that you need out of a backup QB.”
The "questions'' are about an arrest on Jan. 29 for public intoxication. ... and the unfortunate behavior attached to that, as Bennett was arrested in Dallas after police responded to calls of a man banging on doors of homes in the middle of the night.
That paints an unattractive picture of a guy who plays a "face of the franchise'' position.
Bennett, 25, addressed the incident for the first time in recently, saying he’d had discussions with teams about his behavior.
“I understand ... why that can’t happen,'' he said. "I’ve got an obligation. I’m 'the fourth.' Can’t do that if your last name is 'Bennett.' ...''
There is a danger in putting too much weight in one quote. Still, I find that to be a stunning way to apologize, a "humble-brag'' of sort. Stetson's grandfather played QB at South Carolina and his dad played for a time at Georgia Southern. But what does "being a Bennett'' have to do with being drunk and banging on strangers' doors in the middle of the night?
What does being "the fourth'' have anything to with being arrested or being drafted?
To me, the quote reeks of "entitlement,'' and for the sake of Stetson Bennett "The Fourth,'' he'd better hope his discussions with team officials didn't leave that same impression.
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