Rich Paul’s message to teams about Bronny James could be a sign of what’s to come for the NFL

The Los Angeles Lakers’ decision to sign Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, has sparked a lot of commentary. Here’s one that applies to the NFL.

Agent Rich Paul reportedly told other teams don’t recruit bronny jamesexplaining that if they did, he would play in Australia.

While there is no Australian equivalent for NFL players, the fact is that James and his agent identified an alternative, were prepared to pursue it and informed teams.

And no one was bluffing. Why would they? Teams want players who want to be there. The relationship starts horribly if the player comes in kicking and screaming. Or if it doesn’t happen at all.

When we talk about power plays in the NFL Draft, we usually mention John Elway and Eli Manning. But it was Bo Jackson who told the Buccaneers in 1986, “Don’t draft me.” I’m going to play baseball. They did it anyway. And he didn’t show up. (The Raiders gave him a seventh-round steal the following year.)

As more players who make more money in college enter the draft, they will be less embarrassed to tell teams how it will play out. They will be less embarrassed to tell teams how it will play out. They will be less embarrassed to tell teams how it will play out. They will be less embarrassed to tell teams how it will play out. They will be less embarrassed to tell teams that it is an “honor and a privilege” to be on the wrong side of pro football’s Harry Potter sorting hat, to be sent to a place they don’t want to live to play for a team they don’t want to join.

It’s late. It’s inevitable. I support it, partly because I love a good story — and partly because we’ve seen NFL careers derailed by starting with a dysfunctional organization.

If this happens to enough dysfunctional organizations, maybe they will make a real effort to stop being dysfunctional.

Football people occasionally complain about players who seem entitled. Frankly, nothing says “entitled” like a crappy franchise taking solace in the fact that failure automatically gives them references to the best of the best players coming in.