NFL teams are no longer allowed to ask players if their mothers are sex workers, which makes up just one of many odd questions asked by teams vetting potential draft picks.
The move is part of the sport's move to pay greater attention to the mental state of NFL athletes, removing any questions deemed demeaning or embarrassing.
Huffington Post reported that a number of players have welcomed the change, which is one of the biggest made in the sport during the past 21 years.
The news comes after multiple reports over the past few years detailing all sorts of inappropriate questions that were asked to draft prospects.
In 2010, the then-manager of the Miami Dolphins, Jeff Ireland, was forced to apologize to Dallas Cowboys draft pick Dez Bryant for asking whether his mom was a sex worker. Shortly afterward, Ireland released a statement via the Dolphins that read: "My job is to find out as much information as possible about a player that I'm considering drafting. Sometimes that leads to asking in-depth questions.
"Having said that, I talked to Dez Bryant and told him I used poor judgment in one of the questions I asked him. I certainly meant no disrespect and apologized to him," the statement continued, per ESPN.
Then, in 2016, Eli Apple (a 20-year-old Ohio State cornerback) was asked by an Atlanta Falcons assistant coach about his sexual preference, something that was not allowed by NFL rules at the time. Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn was outraged by the incident, stating via Sky Sports: "I am really disappointed in the question that was asked by one of our coaches.
"I have spoken to the coach that interviewed Eli Apple and explained to him how inappropriate and unprofessional this was. I have reiterated this to the entire coaching staff and I want to apologize to Eli for this even coming up. This is not what the Atlanta Falcons are about and it is not how we are going to conduct ourselves," he added.
Many mental health experts have applauded the change to scrap the invasive questioning, following a greater focus on athlete mental health and wellbeing. Dr. Stephen Ferrando, director of psychiatry for the Westchester Medical Center Health Network in New York, was quoted by Huffington Post as saying: "Certainly, organizations look to protect their integrity and financial investments in players.
"The efforts to uncover such problems, however, do not justify intrusive questioning of athletes. In fact, such questioning is likely to lead athletes to hide their problems out of fear of reprisal. Furthermore, such intrusive questioning may be based on assumptions, and this is likely to compound negative emotions. The NFL has taken a major step to reinforce boundaries when interviewing players," Dr. Ferrando continued.
Several high-profile athletes have been transparent about their mental health in recent years, including US gymnast Simone Biles who told CNN: "Getting the mental health therapy that I need has been really relieving for me, especially being on the road and on tour. I'm happy to have such a great app to help out with that."
