The NFL is still, for some reason, clinging to COVID restrictions even as most of the country has moved on. Yet when agents and draft prospects decided to push back, suddenly those strict protocols “evolved.”

The league had been planning to clamp down on the freedom of draft prospects at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, instituting a bubble that would prevent players from even heading out into the city of Indianapolis. “Players will be restricted to secure Combine venues during their entire time in Indianapolis for their protection,” a Saturday memo read. “Players who violated this policy at any time will be disqualified from further participation and sent home.”