NEW YORK — Jets first-round pick Mekhi Becton insisted that his flagged drug test at the scouting combine was a “one-time mistake.”
It’s an error that isn’t likely to affect the Jets’ new offensive tackle thanks to the relaxed rules of the substance-abuse policy in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Becton will remain in Stage 1 of the program for 60 days. If there are no more incidents, he’ll simply be taken out of Stage 1. Though future failed drug tests would result in fines, the specter of suspensions don’t loom under the new guidelines.
“It was just a messed-up drug test, you know,” Becton said Thursday night after being taken with the No. 11 overall pick. “I made a mistake… a young mistake that won’t happen again. It was a one-time mistake that’s never going to happen again.”
Although general manager Joe Douglas admitted that “it certainly raises a flag when an incident like that comes up,” he said he was put at ease after the Jets did a “deep dive” into the matter.
“Our staff did an unbelievable job talking to as many people that have been around Mekhi,” Douglas said. “The No. 1 thing that kept coming back is how good of a soul this young man has, how good of a heart this young man has.”
Douglas said that he had a candid conversation with Becton on Wednesday to allay any lingering concerns. It’s unclear whether Becton dropped out of the top 10 because of the news of his flagged test that surfaced late last week.
In the end, the 6-7, 364-pound Becton didn’t hide from the truth with teams.
“The more I got honest with teams that asked about it, the more I felt better about it,” Becton said. “They were just telling me, ‘Just be honest about it. Don’t try to lie.’ It was better for me to be honest about the whole situation.”
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