Tunsil’s draft stock plummeted Thursday night after a picture was posted to his official Twitter account that appeared to show him in a gas mask smoking a bong. Tunsil removed the gas mask at the end of the video, and his face can clearly be seen as the person smoking from the bong. The tweet and account were subsequently deleted. Attentive eyes quickly posted it to Twitter and YouTube. “It happened years ago”, Tunsil told Deion Sanders of the NFL Network.
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This was obviously followed buy a Gruden “Social Media is the worst thing in the world” rant. “I promise to work hard on and off the field”. Tunsil declined to suggest who might have hacked his account.
The leak showed his text messages between Tunsil and a pair of Ole Miss administrators (screen shots below) where the offensive tackle asked for money.
Pressed if that meant he had taken money from a coach, Tunsil said, ‘I’d have to say yeah’.
He chuckled several times as he discussed the situation an hour after finally being selected.
“I made a mistake”, Tunsil said in a press conference.
Tuntil was then interrupted and ushered off the podium.
“Somebody hacked my Twitter account”, Tunsil said, after being drafted. This draft story will be tough to top. He had to wait until the 13th pick.
Two offensive tackles were selected in the top eight picks Thursday, including Michigan State tackle Jack Conklin, picked by the Tennessee Titans after they traded up to the No. 8 spot with the Cleveland Browns. Sexton also said the video could be from high school. Tunsil was sued earlier this week by his stepfather.
It was obvious Tunsil was the victim of hacking. Tunsil, a 6-foot-5 and 315-pound blocker, was an nearly certain top-five pick and was seen as perhaps the draft’s most NFL-ready prospect. The NCAA also alleged that Tunsil received an interest-free, four-month loan to make a $3,000 down payment for a used auto. “If you’re a young kid, put away your Twitter accounts – if you want to be a pro football player”.
Ole Miss teammate Robert Nkemdiche called Tunsil’s drop “heartbreaking”, and he should know. For us, we were very comfortable once you talk to him.
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Mock drafts from Sports Illustrated and ESPN had Tunsil going anywhere from first overall to sixth.
