Scout Quotes on Maurice Hurst
Bleacher Report's NFL Draft Lead Writer Matt Miller posted this quote from scouts regarding Maurice Hurst. Any thoughts?
Link- https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2773921-matt-millers-scouting-noteb…
"—Raiders "Irresponsible" for Drafting Maurice Hurst
And finally, this one is shocking. After the draft ended on Saturday—and even during our Bleacher Report live stream coverage—I was asking if Michigan defensive tackle Maurice Hurst was going to be drafted. Hurst was flagged at the combine for a heart condition but was later allowed to participate at the Michigan pro day. If the Wolverines felt he was healthy, why did he fall so far in the draft?
I spoke to over 10 scouts, coaches and executives regarding Hurst. One, in a heated rant, labeled the selection "irresponsible" by the Raiders because of Hurst's heart condition (which hasn't been publicly shared) and hoped the talented defender would "never put a f--king helmet on again in his life."
That sentiment was echoed many times over, with one head coach adding, "Only the Raiders would draft a guy who could literally die on the field from a known condition.""
I'm going to go all crazy cynical here and bet it was all a money decision...
I'm betting the Raiders had a figure where if his cost became low enough, drafting him was worth the risk, but nobody else did because they all have to consider the PR cost much more heavily in the equation. It's the freakin' Raiders! If any team could add the untimely death of a player to their list of bad PR and move on, it's them. Unlike for the rest of the league, it was primarily a monetary risk/reward calculation where PR cost on the risk side was minimal. And if any team is going to go where no one else will, it's the Raiders.
As the saying goes, you don't need to assume conspiracy when incompetence fits just as well.
I think the NFL scouts saw he wasn't cleared at the combine and didn't really do anything else to follow-up, then got pissed when someone drafted him. Maybe it's because he cared about Hurst and legitimately doesn't want to see him die on the field (a pretty morbid but, I guess, not-that-concern-trolling of a take), or maybe it's because they all looked up after the draft and found out he had been cleared and were pissed they missed on him, so inevitably they try to cover their tracks. I still remember hearing a number of scouts saying Tom Brady was going to be THEIR pick in the 6th round, and they knew he had the potential to be great, etc. And in particular, based on how terrible most teams are at evaluating and drafting guys consistently, the fact that the herd mentality that surrounds drafting guys could lead to everyone being wrong on Hurst isn't particularly novel or even that surprising.
While I wish the best for Hurst, to completely dismiss the fact that there is concern for his heart condition is a bit foolish. Mo should make the best decision for Mo ultimately, but at least he knows there are potential serious ramifications.
NFL teams don't have to win to make ungodly profits. With TV rights, revenue sharing, and public officials giving them free stadiums, the name of the game is DON'T DISRUPT THE GRAVY TRAIN.
Very few things put the whole gravy train at risk. A politically-charged player who boycotts the anthem and causes ticket sales to tank is one. A player who might actually die on the field is another.
So NFL teams will only ever make SAFE investments. Different coaches and players come with different upside potential on wins, but no team is going to take someone who might bring the whole kingdom down a notch or two with a heart explosion.
I can't really blame them, but I hope that if Mo wants to play, and is good enough to, he's given the opportunity.
So more NFL teams are willing to draft thieves, rapists, and woman beaters but have an issue taking a guy with a known heart condition that has already been cleared to play by some of the best medical professionals in the world?
Understand it’s a business decision and health concerns can be scary to teams. But you’re telling me that a kid with repeated arrests and failed drug tests is a safer investment than a kid who’s been cleared by Harvard doctors and played at an All American level? #DraftMoHurst
— Grant Newsome (@grant_newsome) April 28, 2018
As a bright M grad that has had 5 heart procedures in the the last five years . . .
I know nothing about this case or athletic heart conditions.
I don't think any scout or GM does either.
I see no scenario where Mo is likely to suffer more on the field than off. If he played well for the last few years then I expect him to play well and safely for the next few years and I hope he crushes the opposition into oblivion.
I suspect that the NFL medical team likes to protect their opinions, procedures, and findings and don't like being shown up or challenged and made a big stink behind closed doors.
It's fine for the Raiders to take a chance on Hurst -- BUT that chance should be that a strong consensus of informed medical opinion clears him to play as long as he takes his meds.
I don't have a problem with him playing if the meds reduce the risk of heart problems to normal levels. Surely Michigan would not have cleared him to play if that was not the case.
I also don't have a problem with a "trust, but verify" clause in his NFL contract with regard to his taking the meds.
The Raiders know there is a risk, and they’re willing to take that risk anyway. If they think he can help the team, they should draft him. Also, no one is putting a gun to Hurst’s Head and forcing him to play. If he wants to walk away from the game, or thinks he should, he can at any time.
I'm surprised no one pointed out the lunacy that is the NFL celebrating the INSPIRATIONAL STORY of Ryan Shazier at the NFL Draft while treating Hurst like he has the plague. Shazier was a perfectly healthy, young, dominant player who nearly died on the field last year and we're celebrating openly that he can almost walk 50-feet to the podium.
I hope Shazier fully recovers and lives a long, normal life with or without football in it (preferably getting to see OSU lose to Michigan every year). I also applaud his efforts to date in his recovery. But the NFL trotting him out there as some sort of PR stunt about inspiration is just bad. Your sport maimed him on national television, nearly paralyzed him, and could have killed him. Congrats on almost learning how to walk again!
I think NFL Group Think affected Hurst, but there clearly is some risk associated with drafting him. I personally think the Raiders made smart decision to bring him in, spend time with medical experts, and determine his future. They're not locked into a contract with him at this point and he has data from two top hospitals and four years of film suggesting this isn't a death sentence.
Are those Boy Scouts or just "Scouts"?
*ducks
The ecg screens for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy which was what they likely did at the combine. There are a lot of false postive screens. The echocardiogram confirms the diagnosis or shows there is no obstruction and the individual is essentially fine without increased risk (or minimal risk). I do not think any (or multiple) cardiologist(s) would clear him to play if he had increased risk. Not sure with what information the teams are going with- the concern for the screen, or something indicating a higher risk (or completely alternative diagnosis???)
false screens are common. I don't think he would be cleared to play if it was postiive. of course, a lot of assumptions are made though.
Cleared by both UM and Harvard doctors so it is little wonder that NFL scouts and GMs will rationalize why they didn't draft Hurst. And of course they'll take shots at Oakland for having drafted Hurst, that's the only position they have left. If Hurst never has a problem they can remain standing on their pedestal of self-rightousness. If Hurst should experience an on field incident with his heart, those same people can smuggly say, "I informed you thusly." From their POV it is a win win.
Is it a prolonged QT interval?
I haven't followed as closely as I could have. Any mention of this? I'm not a medical guy, but this is what comes to mind.
When I was younger I had my athletic career cut short by a diagnosis of aeortic stinosis with mitral valve prolapse. They told me never to do any heavy lifting or pushing again.
In grad school I went in for a check-up at the university hospital. They could not find the mitral valve prolapse and said the stinosis was insignificant. I did a stress test - still nothing. At that point they had the Chair of the Department of Cardiology review my EKG, ultra-sound and stress test results. She said that either my heart miraculously healed itself over the years, or my local cardiologist mis-read the EK and ultrasounds when I was younger. I'l never know for sure what the story is, but I trust the more recent findings and I've been making up for lost time ever since.
One remaining pain in the ass - my medical history shows my (mis)diagnosis so I pay through the nose for life insurance. I am hoping that I can reapply in a few years once that medical history ages.
I know nothing of Mo's condition. However, the NFL is super old-school. I suspect most of them hear "heart condition" and just shut down. They have no differentiation between a condition that can be mitigated and one that can't--they just assume the player is damaged goods and scratch him off the list.
NFL types don't tend to be overly nuanced.
If he was a pro-bowler they would be more willing to deal with it. But as an unproven college player, they just don't even want to get involved.
That happened at the combine which is months before the draft so they had time to digest the rumor and check on Mo's heart condition with their team doctors.
NFL has extensive background and medical checks on prospects which is the purpose of combine/pro days and team visit.
take on Hurst is that it has everyone thinking this is a binary situation.
What if all the doctors agree on the diagnosis, but a lot of the NFL doctors might recommend that Hurst no longer walk around at 290+, and lose a lot of weight to alleviate his condition?
One of the knocks on Hurst pre-heart issue was he was a bit undersized for a NFL DL.
Maybe the idea was that the NFL coaches wanted him at 310, but the NFL doctors want him back at 230?