Agent irked by Ferguson's combine ban over teenage 'scuffle'

Jaylon Ferguson's agent responded critically after the NFL rescinded the sack artist's invitation to the upcoming scouting combine due to a past off-field incident.

The league banned Ferguson from the Indianapolis summit after a background check on the Louisiana Tech product brought up a misdemeanor charge from his freshman year. The league prohibits prospects who've been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving violence from attending the combine.

Safarrah Lawson, who represents Ferguson, sent this statement to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

We disagree with the NFL's position with regards to Jaylon Ferguson. Jaylon is a great person who made a mistake four years ago before he started playing college football. He was involved in a scuffle that resulted in him being charged with misdemeanor simple battery. He received a deferred judgment and $189 fine, a proper punishment for a fight between two teenagers. Since that day, Jaylon has been a fine and upstanding student athlete that personifies the things we are trying to teach our young people today. The past four years at Louisiana Tech, Jaylon has been a team leader who has led on and off the field, clearly learning from the lessons of his past. As opposed to penalizing and vilifying the future players of the league, we would hope the league would allow Jaylon and other similarly situated players the opportunity to prove to potential employers that they are remorseful, and heave learned from their mistakes, accepted responsibility, want to be good role models and are better people now for it. No person is perfect, and people are entitled to second chances and opportunities and one would hope the NFL as an open minded industry leader, diverse league and business would want to see the best in their players, educate them and help them mature, learn and be better people.

Ferguson holds the NCAA's career FBS sack record with 45, and posted 17.5 of them in his senior campaign. He's viewed a potential first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft.