As the 2024 NFL Draft approaches, hundreds of young people are set to possibly have their lives changed forever. This moment is the culmination of a lifetime of work and sacrifice, but if you’re in your early 20s, you may not yet be emotionally equipped to handle that degree of pressure.
In the last few, months we’ve seen that pressure lead to unfortunate mistakes for some of the draft’s most promising athletes. The death on Wednesday of University of Albany defensive lineman Amitral “AJ” Simon at the age of 25 has the sports world wondering what’s happening with this year’s draft prospects.
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The University announced Simon’s passing on its official X f.k.a Twitter page with a statement reading: “The UAlbany football program was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former student-athlete Amitral “AJ” Simon this morning. He was a tremendous young man and even better teammate throughout his time at UAlbany. He was a role model both on and off the field, serving as a pillar to this program over the last two years. He will be profoundly missed.”
According to NBC Sports, he was a standout pass rusher who finished his 2023 season with “12.5 sacks, 74 pressures and 21.5 tackles.” He recently had a pre-draft visit with the New England Patriots. No cause of death has been released yet.
Simon’s devastating story is not the only unexpected pre-draft fallout. In recent months, several highly-ranked players have been arrested on DUI/DWI charges, including Georgia running back Trevor Etienne and Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat.
These sort of pre-draft legal issues aren’t new or exclusive to the NFL. It’s an unfortunate side effect of kids in their 20s suddenly finding themselves under a microscope as the future they’ve been working toward their whole lives depends on a four month period.
When it comes to the draft, the NFL loves to sell the event as a life-changing experience for these young people, and that’s true to a certain extent. However, we all know this is really about the money for the league and these kids are just the assets they’re using to make it happen.
As these heartbreaking stories and legal problems become more common on the pre-draft road, it’s up to the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL to make sure these young people are treated more respectfully and their emotional well-being is taken into account.
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