The NFL draft requires an Ace Bailey

All major pro sports leagues have a draft, which provides incoming players little if any power to withstand the sorting-hat exercise they’re supposed to consider as “an honor and a benefit.”

And if they dare to push back when removed of their liberty to select where to live and work, they become damned by fans and media.During the 2025 NBA

draft, something occurred. As reported by ESPN.com, the agents of previous Rutgers guard/forward Ace Bailey told a team choosing in the leading five to not choose him– and that, if that team picked him, he would not show up.The Utah Jazz selected Bailey at No.

5. It appears as if Bailey has no problem with betting the Jazz. If so, and if the ESPN.com report is precise, Bailey didn’t wish to bet one of the other groups in the leading 5. And none of the other groups in the top five took him. So possibly it worked.Regardless, more players( in all sports) must be willing

to do it.

And more (any) fans and media ought to understand the factor for it.And, please, drop the “if there’s no draft there will be turmoil”routine. Bad teams generally stay bad, even when they have dibs on the best players.There’s a way to do it. And if, as Peter King said on PFT Live not that long earlier, there was no draft, the NFL would

pivot. And the replacement would be as big(if not bigger )than the draft.Regardless, it’s much better for the players. And up until the players have true flexibility, we need to applaud (not criticize)the players who

choose to try to make a bad system work much better for them.