Before he died of an apparent suicide, Kyren Lacy had declared for the NFL draft and was certainly talented enough to warrant consideration — yet he didn’t receive a scouting combine invite.
Lacy’s agent, Rocky Arceneaux of Alliance Sports, released a statement Friday morning ripping the NFL for robbing Lacy of the opportunity because of his presumed guilt in the eyes of the league regarding his alleged involvement in a fatal car crash in December.
“To the NFL, shame on you for revoking Kyren’s Combine invitation without acknowledgement or consideration of the facts,” Arceneaux said. “I urge you to re-evaluate your processes and provide athletes with the necessary due process before alienating them from their peers and dreams they’ve worked so hard for. Shame on the investigating agency for being more concerned about public perception — and pressure to charge someone — than actually investigating the facts.”
Lacy was set to appear in front of a jury Monday after he was arrested in December following a car crash that killed a 78-year-old man.
Lacy’s death came less than two days before the scheduled court appearance.
Arceneaux also echoed earlier sentiments of Lacy’s attorney that the “felony charge of negligent homicide would have been declined by a grand jury” and that Lacy “was willing to adhere to any civil matters” no matter the case’s outcome.
Lacy’s attorney, Matthew Ory, has been adamant in his defense of the former star LSU wide receiver, describing Lacy as “a young man with immense promise, and he was crushed under the weight of an irresponsible and prejudiced process.”
The negative barrage on social media … the overall tone of coverage painted a deeply biased picture before he ever had the chance to defend himself.”
Like Arceneaux, Ory addressed the NFL not inviting Lacy to the combine, citing the fact that the league never assumed innocence for Lacy.
“The pressure and perception likely became unbearable,” Ory said.
It’s unknown if Lacy was going to hear his name called in this year’s NFL draft, but before his arrest, he was receiving lots of draft buzz.
“K2 — You should have had the chance to reach your dream of playing in the NFL, in just a week’s time,” Arceneaux said of Lacy in the statement. “It hurts that the pressure, public perception, social media bullying — all without having the facts — were too much to bear. We hoped to see you flourish as an elite WR in the NFL, but God needed you on his team more. Your memory will never be forgotten, we will not let your death be in vain, and you will not be Mr. Irrelevant.”