Mike Pouncey will get it some day. That day, however, was not Tuesday, and it sounds as if no one should hold their breath waiting for that day to come.
Based on his comments to reporters after the first day of the Dolphins' OTAs (according to the Miami Herald), the Pro Bowl center who was deeply involved in the NFL's two biggest scandals last year has learned absolutely nothing from his experiences.
In his mind — for what that's worth — Pouncey doesn't need to undergo the mental-health evaluation the NFL says is a requirement for him to play this season: “I don’t think I need that. I don’t think I do.”
He has no regrets about what went on with him and the Dolphins last season, despite being named prominently and often in the Ted Wells report — or, it appears, with his ties to former college teammate Aaron Hernandez on display so often, from wearing the infamous "Free Hernandez" hat last summer to being served papers in front of his locker room in Foxborough after a game and having to testify in his murder investigation.
"No, not at all," Pouncey said.
And he's fine with the draft-night tweet about the Dolphins' first-round pick, offensive tackle Ja'Wuan James, with the bullying scandal fresh in everybody's minds. “Great pick! I can’t wait for our gifts he’s getting us lol,” he tweeted. Dolphins officials quickly called him in for a talk, and he shut down his account afterward.
“Obviously, (the tweet) was a joke, but I’m not here to be a distraction,'' Pouncey said Tuesday. "It’s all about football right now. We’ve moved on from that.”
Technically, not everybody has "moved on" ... since regardless of his opinions on it, he still has to be cleared by the league's mental-health evaluators.
However, the Dolphins did extend his rookie contract through 2015 earlier this month. The team surely must be thrilled with the off-field benefits of their investment so far.
