Goodell Warns Against Wonderlic Leaks

You may recall (if you read everything I post) that I posted a comment alluding to former LSU cornerback and projected Top 10 pick Morris Claiborne's Wonderlic woes earlier this week that resulted from his alleged score being leaked. (For more on CSC Wonderlic coverage, go here and here.)

Well, just a couple of days after that story broke, Roger Goodell sent a memo out in regard to the leaking of confidential information about draftees with some words of warning to teams that engage in this practice.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has sent a memo to all 32 teams threatening "significant discipline" to anyone caught leaking confidential information gathered on draft prospects to the public.

I wonder if he means fines, suspensions, and the loss of draft choices. (Now I'm just being a whiny little b****.)

League rules prohibit officials from disclosing the results, but scores have routinely been leaked for years, both of the very poor and very high variety.

In his memo, Goodell stresses that Wonderlic scores, personal and family histories and drug tests are to be kept strictly confidential.

But you may be wondering...why is this such a big deal?

A poor Wonderlic score or a failed drug test could significantly hurt a player's stock and change the perception of that player with the fan base of the team that chooses him.

"Bear in mind that the publicly disclosed information is frequently inaccurate, incomplete or misleading, and often results from an effort of an individual to advance a self-interested goal," Goodell wrote.

I must admit that I first read the above quote before reading the rest of the article itself, and snarkily thought to myself "Except for when you do it about the Saints." (Damn, I am a whiny little b**** this morning.)

Is that all? No.

"What is lost in the pursuit of that goal is concern for the reputation and well-being of the young men who have worked so hard to reach their own goal of becoming an NFL player and concern for the reputation of the NFL and our game."

and there's this, too...

"Disclosing this confidential information about draft-eligible players to the public can be extremely damaging to players, clubs, and the league," he wrote.

Now here's some spin control to counteract the alleged low Wonderlic score of Claiborne, first from his agent (who has no vested interest in anything other than the truth getting out), then a guy he knew at LSU:

"I don't know if he scored a 4 or a 40. All I know is he's a great kid, he's smart, and I've been thoroughly impressed with everything about him."

An LSU source told ESPN's Joe Schad that Claiborne is a "visual learner."

"Mo has a high football IQ," the source said. "He just learns in a different way. He's a visual learner. He can handle playbook and scheme in the NFL."

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Now it's your turn, CSC. Is this really all that big of a deal? Is the leaking of Wonderlic scores REALLY up there with the leaking of drug test results and personal family information, as Goodell would have us think? Do you even care?