Gone Fishing
When the NFL came knocking on Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas’ door, it just as easily could have found the sign, “Gone Fishin’. ” Despite a personal e-mail from commissioner Roger Goodell, Thomas rejected the NFL’s repeated written and verbal invitations to attend the draft-week festivities in New York.
Thomas wants to maintain a years-old tradition in which he spends draft day fishing for coho salmon on Lake Michigan with his dad.
The league repeatedly has reached out to Thomas — who recently signed a lucrative endorsement deal with Under Armour and will be profiled in an upcoming Sports Illustrated issue — but it has met the same type of resistance as a defensive end going against him. Thomas hasn’t budged. Nor will he.
Thomas doesn’t believe a trip to New York will do anything to enhance his draft status; he could go as high as No. 2 to Detroit or as low as No. 5 to Arizona.
And so, while Thomas is fishing, the NFL will move on with the rest of its decorated draft class. Expected to attend the draft-week and draft-day festivities in New York are LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson and Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams — each player projected to go in the top 10.
It’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip Thomas will be missing — hanging out in New York, socializing with the stars of tomorrow, being at historic Radio City Music Hall for the draft — but the Wisconsin offensive tackle would rather go fishing.
Hey, at least the commissioner can’t suspend him for his decision.
