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Laremy Tunsil’s lawyer on money exchange: ‘Much to do about nothing’

It was a wild night for Ole Miss offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil at Thursday night’s NFL Draft.Tunsil later confirmed to ESPN’s Suzy Kolber that he was the person in the video.

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Scrutiny on Tunsil increased after he was asked whether he took money from a coach while at MS and responded, “I have to say yeah”. Tunsil had tumbled down the draft board after a video surfaced just as the draft was starting that showed him smoking marijuana from a bong attached to a gas mask.

Recently, a clip of showing Tunsil smoking weed through a gas mask was making rounds on social media when it first emerged on the MS offensive tackle’s Twitter account causing him to fall from No.6 pick to No. 13 as the video went viral.

Another post on his Instagram showed an alleged text exchange with an Ole Miss football staff member that included Tunsil’s request for money, prompting a university investigation.

While other teams backed away, turned off by a weird video of Tunsil using a bong and a gas mask that suddenly popped up on social media, the Dolphins’ draft room was buzzing with the possibility of the unthinkable: Tunsil might still be there at No. 13. “Thought it was a great opportunity for the organization and we expect Laremy to come in and contribute”.

Asked if the reaction was a result of something he ate, Tunsill said: “Probably”. “I’m the best player and I should be in the draft”.

Miami VP of football operations Mike Tannenbaum, the former Jets general manager, said at Tunsil’s introductory news conference that he is comfortable that Tunsil won’t be an off-field problem. That said, Tunsil served a 7-game suspension at the beginning of a year ago “impermissible benefits” which sounds like he may have already been punished for the payments that he was discussing in the text messages. He may turn out to be the steal of the draft after his perceived value took as big a hit as he did.

The Jets didn’t land Tunsil, and they obviously didn’t want to give up too many of their draft assets to get him.

He sat out the 2015 season’s first seven games after the NCAA ruled that he received improper benefits, including the use of three loaner cars over a six-month period.

Yeah, but. The freakish social media posts reinforced Tunsil’s reputation for off-field issues.

According to a team source, one team official saw Tunsil’s video just as the draft began. If he takes advantage of it, Tunsil has the potential to be a star. “I can’t wait to see what he does in the National Football League”.

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The bad feelings between Tunsil and his stepfather go back to at least June, when they both filed domestic-violence charges against each other after a scuffle in Mississippi.

Myles Jack