One NFL draft pick said no to the NFL because he never plays on Sundays. But once you know more about his story, you'll agree that his reason behind it is pretty valid.
Standing at 6 feet 8 and weighing 330 pounds, Eli Herring was on track to be one of the best offensive tackles in football. He was an honorable mention in the All-WAC team his junior year and was named to the All-WAC second team his senior year. Herring garnered interest from multiple teams and was even projected to go anywhere between the first to third round of the 1995 NFL draft despite being 26 years old. That was the case until he made a shocking announcement.
Herring, who was also a devout Mormon, wrote letters to every team prior to the draft not to pick him because his religious beliefs meant he never works on the Sabbath. He was inspired to do this after meeting Erroll Bennett during his church mission from 1988 to 1990. Bennett was a Tahitian soccer player and Mormon who never played whenever his team had a game on Sundays. Unfortunately, in the NFL, most of the games were played on Sundays.
Almost every team respected Herring's decision and took him off their draft boards. Everyone except for Bruce Allen and the Oakland Raiders who selected him in the 6th round. The Raiders offered Herring a three-year $1.5 million contract to try and persuade him. What's more, the Raiders even sent Mormons to his home to convince him to play for them. “The Raiders tried to talk me into playing. They sent Brother Fred to visit me,” said Herring in an interview with the Deseret in 2015.
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However, Herring stayed true to his beliefs and rejected every deal the Raiders had to offer. Instead, he raised seven kids and made use of his Mathematics degree to teach young kids at Mountain View High School in Orem, Utah. Herring might've only had a starting salary of $22,000 a year but he said he doesn't regret a thing.
To this day, Herring is part of a rare group that was drafted in the NFL despite never declaring for the draft.
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