Jim Rome is impressed by Notre Dame’s Jerry Tillery and his “off the field issues”

Jerry Tillery had a great senior year for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. When people say that “ball don’t lie” it’s another way of saying that “8 sacks from a defensive tackle is super impressive.”

Recently, the 6’7” 305 pounder from Shreveport Louisiana went on the Jim Rome show. What impressed Rome the most was the character of Tillery. They talked about how Jerry watched CSPAN as a middle school student, and how he would use his mother’s email to contact their congressman.

So let’s get this straight... what Jim Rome was blown away about (Tillery’s interest in politics and the way the world works) is what is said to be hurting Tillery’s NFL Draft stock.

“He has character issues” is what they say about Tillery. It’s not about a few personal fouls and absolutely ZERO off the field issues — it’s code for “this young athlete has a brain.” While the NFL loves to showcase those players that do charity work, they really REALLY frown upon those that get political.

While someone like Jim Rome is blown away in an interview with Jerry when talking about these things, an NFL team would be cringing at the possible “trouble” Tillery would cause by speaking his mind.

Jerry Tillery is going to get drafted at some point. Maybe it’s in the 2nd round, and maybe it’s in the 3rd round. At any rate, when you hear that it’s because of anything that doesn’t involve his actual play on the field, it’s because of this fear the NFL has with smart young football players.