Go ahead and make your Shane Ray-in-Colorado weed jokes. The Broncos will have the last laugh, general manager John Elway said Thursday.
"We got a guy that plays with his hair on fire," Elway said, according to the Denver Post.
MORE: Top 10 moves of Round 1 | Denver's trade to get Ray | Still on the board
"You look at him as a starter," coach Gary Kubiak said during Thursday's post-pick news conference.
— #BroncosDraft (@Broncos) May 1, 2015 Even before the Broncos traded up to make him the 23rd pick in Round 1, Ray had been placed in Phase 1 of the NFL's substance-abuse program because he was cited for possession of 35 grams of marijuana after a traffic stop early Monday near Columbia, Mo.
That's where Ray played for Missouri and, to Elway's point, recorded 38½ sacks during three seasons for the Tigers in the rugged SEC.
“I guaranteed Mr. Elway that I will not have any issues,” Ray told reporters at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre after his selection. “As I said before, I’m not a person who has character issues at all.”
Yes, the Post noted, by selecting Ray, the Broncos gave more fodder to late-night comedians who know Colorado only as the butt of marijuana jokes.
But in Elway's and the Broncos' eyes, the team got a steal when it picked the player it had ranked No. 10 on the draft board.
"He's a 21-year-old kid that made a mistake and realized it," Elway said. "The kid, to me, loves the game of football. And I think he realizes the mistake that he made can really affect what that does to a football career."
