On Tuesday, Heat forward LeBron James posed an interesting question to ESPN’s John Clayton via Twitter asking when the deadline is for an NFL team to sign a free agent.
Obviously this set off a bunch of speculation as to whether or not LeBron (a former All-State WR in high school) was interested in suiting up for an NFL team during the NBA lockout.
Here’s Tom Haberstroh of ESPN’s Heat Index on the feasibility of such a prospect:
“Obviously, LeBron is trying to stir up some fun by asking an innocent question — innocent if it was asked by anyone other than LeBron. Of course, LeBron isn’t your typical athlete. Standing at 6-foot-9, 250 pounds, he would be a protypical tight-end with freakish athleticism, speed, and hands. Because of the lockout, he’s free to do what he wants with his career. David Stern is a powerful man, but he is powerless against this … Sure, this is probably just a bored athlete toying with a gullible audience. But, man, it’s a spectacular way to ignite some water cooler chatter, isn’t it? Would Cleveland Browns fans approve of his signing? For that matter, would the winless Miami Dolphins want him, knowing that it could potentially jeopardize both his Heat career and the Andrew Luck sweepstakes? Knowing that LeBron is a big fan of the Dallas Cowboys, how much would deep-pocketed owner Jerry Jones offer him to suit up for America’s team? Perhaps the most important question: Is Pat Riley conscious?”
One can only imagine the amount of media buzz surrounding the team that makes a run at LeBron. Still the chances of LeBron suiting up for any team in the NFL seems extremely remote, especially considering the risk he would potentially be taking if he were to get on a field with real NFL pros.
Ref: ESPN, Freshnessmag.com (image)