:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/12286209/20120922_lbm_bc2_492.0.jpg)
The Miami Dolphins selected tight end Dion Sims with the 106th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. But, a surface look at Sims raises red flags. Sims sat the entire 2010 season after being suspended by Michigan State. He eventually was redshirted for the year, so he still retained his eligibility, but under head coach Joe Philbin, the Dolphins have stayed away from players with baggage. Why is this one different?
Thanks to Chris Vannini from SB Nation's The Only Colors, the Michigan State blog, we get a little better look at what happened with Sims.
Sims was charged with felony receiving and concealing stolen property in connection to a series of thefts from the Detroit Public Schools system involving a ring of people, including Sims' father. He ended up pleading guilty to the charges, was sentenced to one year of probation and 15 hours of community service. After the year, his record was expunged.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Sims explained the situation:
"My father had purchased me a computer for Christmas when I lived with him in high school. Some of my classmates saw it, they asked where i got it from. My dad was a professor at U of M, so he had the power to purchase computers at a discounted rate. It turned out that my dad was never putting the money back into the account. He was using Michigan's funds to purchase computers, and it was humiliating to me. My dad got fired from his job, and it was all pretty much a disgrace. Things happen, and you just have to learn how to build off them."
That at least sounds plausible. Despite being a suspect in a "criminal ring," Sims was only given probation and 15 hours of service. Clearly, he was not considered a major player in the crimes. It could be just a matter of a kid trusting his dad, and not realizing his dad was actually doing anything illegal - or possibly not wanting to realize it was illegal.
Whatever the situation, the Dolphins seem to be okay with the baggage Sims brings to Miami. Hopefully he will be able to become a big part of the Miami offense. And, if he becomes the "post up center down there in the red zone" type of player that Jim Miller, Sirius/XM NFL Analyst, describes in the video below, Miami may have picked the exact guy the offense needs.