A select group of players from the NCAA receive the sought-after invitation to the NFL Combine. The event has happened every year when players head to Indianapolis since 1987. The Player Selection Committee strategically spearheads the process to broaden the scope for aspirants. This committee comprises representatives from various NFL player departments in order to evaluate eligible players. The evaluation helps the stakeholders to extend invitations based on a position-by-position assessment.

The objective of the Selection Committee is to invite everyone who can be potentially drafted in the upcoming NFL Draft. An array of schools have received over 10 invitations for the NFL Combine this year, with top numbers from the national title holders Michigan Wolverines.

Schools with 10+ NFL Combine Invites
Michigan – 19
Washington – 13
𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 – 𝟏𝟐
Texas – 11
Georgia – 11
Alabama – 10 pic.twitter.com/Fi0kdppHeb

— Clay Fink (@clay_fink) February 13, 2024

In totality, a number of players are invited to the NFL Combine which typically exceeds 300 per draft cycle. While there isn’t a fixed minimum for invitees, the aim remains to provide a platform for all brightest prospects who have NFL dreams.

Eligibility for Entering the NFL Combine

To be invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, players must meet specific eligibility criteria before being vetted by the Selection Committee. Moreover, there are currently three main eligibility criteria in place.  Each of these is designed to include a broad range of potential candidates. First, all college seniors are automatically eligible immediately after having achieved their final year of collegiate eligibility. Second, underclassmen who declare for the NFL Draft before the deadline and are deemed fit for NCAA and NFL requirements, are eligible.

Finally, any athlete who is not actively participating in college football may qualify under special circumstances. Moreover, they can enter in the draft year as they would naturally be eligible for if playing collegiately. It’s essential for players seeking eligibility under the third criterion to verify their status with the NFL‘s Player Personnel Department.

How to Get an Invitation?

Players who are eligible under the three conditions can secure an invitation to the NFL Combine after undergoing a rigorous selection process. The procedure is overseen by the Player Selection Committee also includes directors of the National and BLESTO Talent Organization. The committee members vote on every eligible player who should be invited. While the process has its own intricacies, it has provided the NFL with some of the most promising talents across the collegiate football landscape.

6 DAYS TILL THE @NFL COMBINE!!! pic.twitter.com/2zqV8D2Cdw

— The Giovanni Show Podcast (@GioThePodcaster) February 20, 2024

The next NFL Combine is set to happen at the Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, with its induction on Thursday, Feb. 29,  2024. Interested parties can view the thrilling activities on the LIVE coverage on NFL Network

The post How to Get Invited to the NFL Combine? appeared first on The SportsRush.

The future 3x NBA MVP bringing the Sycamores to the Finals of the NCAA tournament for the first time in 11 years, he became a local legend much before making it to the league in 1979.

And when you become a part of something, the attached people start expecting you to share the common feeling as they do. But every so often it crosses boundaries. And for Bird, the line was his tattooed-up mural on a wall.

Also read: “Larry Bird Said I Would Be the GOAT of Centers!”: Shaquille O’Neal Once Opened Up on How Celtics Legend Made Him Great

When a mural irked Larry Bird

An artist who goes by the name Jules Muck, drew a Larry Bird mural on a residential building in Indianapolis, 40 years after Larry first played in the league in 1979.

Although she received compliments for her work when it went viral online, it didn’t sit well with the man himself who thought it was not a representation of him.

In a Jalen and Jacoby episode at the time, the former Pacers’ player Jalen Rose talked about how Bird has no problem with art and artist expressing himself, but just that the mural “was not a representation he wanted for him.”

Notice from Bird’s team

Larry’s lawyer, Gary Salle, opened up to CNN about his client’s distaste for the matter. Their team then informed Muck about the issue via mail, and that she was violating 6 trademarks owned by Bird.

“He’s wearing colors that match the building,” Muck told CNN affiliated WISH. “It felt to me that it was aesthetically perfect. I also felt if I’m going to paint Larry Bird, I’m going to paint Larry Bird in Indianapolis.

“That being said, I wasn’t trying to make a prestigious fancy piece,” she said. “I also have fun with my work and I kind of like to make people laugh.”

She then agreed to remove all the tattoos other than “Indiana” on Larry’s forearm. Some determination. Alas! Their humor didn’t go hand in hand.

It was a little bit fun to see a tatted-up Bird, the last of the NBA players, who you would imagine having a tattoo. Now his distaste makes sense.

Also read: “You Can’t Beat, What You Can’t Catch”: 6ft 9′ Larry Bird Once Revealed 1981 FMVPs’ Take On Showtime Lakers

The post “Not a Representation Larry Bird Wanted”: When an Indianapolis Artist Drew Tattooed Larry Legend Mural and Got a Notice appeared first on The SportsRush.

The merger of Formula 1 and Indianapolis is a dream project for the two associations, but so far it has not been seen as financially viable, while every year barring 2020 F1 visits Austin to race in the United States Grand Prix, and next year, there will be a race in Miami too.

IMS boss Roger Penske said he has been in contact with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, but the likeliness of the event happening over there is slim.

“We haven’t talked seriously until now,” said Penske to the IndyStar. “I have spoken to Stefano Domenicali (the head of Formula 1), of course he would very much like to be able to race at Indianapolis. But clearly that’s only possible if it’s something stable and sustainable.”

F1 is giving him an offer which he wants to refuse

Penske then elaborated that why holding F1 at Indianapolis is going to be a fruitless opportunity for them until F1 makes reasonable cuts to make it happen.

“I don’t see F1 in Indianapolis in the near future,” says Penske “True, if there is an opportunity, it will be welcome. But, after some discussions with Domenicali, it all comes down to money. We have to be stable and sustainable.

“And to organise an F1 Grand Prix you have to invest. It’s not just about getting a sponsor, it’s about agreeing all the details that make up the package,” Penske said.

F1 indeed has a huge market in the United States, and often many of the F1 drivers also go on to make careers in IndyCar. That’s why F1 has shown interest in expanding in the US, but it remains to be seen whether F1 would make any adjustments for this lucrative tie-up.

The post “We have to be stable and sustainable”– F1 in Indianapolis; Roger Penske gets brutally honest appeared first on The SportsRush.