New NFL rule would've kept Eagles from drafting Jalen Carter
The Philadelphia Eagles made one of the most controversial picks of the 2023 NFL Draft when they traded up to ninth overall to select defensive lineman Jalen Carter. Football-wise, pretty much everyone agreed the Eagles were getting an absolute steal. But Carter's off-the-field situation made him a player that some front offices were reportedly avoiding […]
The Philadelphia Eagles made one of the most controversial picks of the 2023 NFL Draft when they traded up to ninth overall to select defensive lineman Jalen Carter.
Football-wise, pretty much everyone agreed the Eagles were getting an absolute steal. But Carter's off-the-field situation made him a player that some front offices were reportedly avoiding and some fans didn't necessarily love. The former Georgia Bulldog saw himself involved in an incident resulting in the death of two people, which in turn led to an arrest warrant being brought on against the player in March. Most recently, Carter was sued in July by the Georgia staffer who survived the car wreck.
But as is usually the case in the NFL world – right or wrong – front offices will look past the trouble as long as they can get high-end talent like Carter's. However, looking past the turmoil would've been a lot harder for GM Howie Roseman & Co. had the Draft been held today.
Why? The league updated its Personal Conduct Policy, which now "includes language that opens the door to the possibility of imposing discipline on a player for conduct that happened before he joined the NFL," per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio.
In his report, Florio outlines the wording of the new document which reads, "Nothing in this Policy should be read to limit the league’s authority to investigate or discipline potential Policy violations alleged to have occurred before a player is under contract or Draft-eligible."
In other words, if the Policy doesn't limit the NFL, then it NFL can "investigate or discipline" a player before he's under contract or Draft-eligible. Say that the league would've been able to investigate Carter's case and decide to suspend him for X amount of games. The league has made two-game suspensions as well as it's made indefinite ones before.
A large enough number of games would've likely dropped Carter in the Eagles' draft board. Especially since Philly is a team with immediate Super Bowl aspirations and needs immediate-impact players.
Given that the latest revision happened this offseason, the Eagles should be in the clear. But Carter's situation could've looked a lot different under the newest version of the league's Policy. It'll be interesting to see how the NFL enforces the language moving forward.
Featured image via Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
