On August 19th, 2022, the highly anticipated eighth annual draft of the fantasy football league commenced, marking a significant moment for all participating team owners. This year’s draft introduced a novel approach as it adopted the slow draft format, a departure from the traditional real-time live drafts that had been the norm in previous seasons. In the slow draft, team owners were granted the flexibility to make their player selections over an extended period, allowing for more thoughtful decision-making and accommodating participants’ various schedules.
In this newly adopted format, each team was given a generous six-hour pick clock during the first round. This extended time window aimed to ease the pressure on owners and give them ample opportunity to analyze players, consult fantasy rankings, and engage in discussions with fellow league members regarding potential picks. Subsequent rounds featured a diminishing pick clock to maintain progress and prevent unnecessary delays.
However, as the slow draft progressed, unforeseen challenges began to surface, testing the patience and camaraderie of the league members. At the outset, Andrew, holding the coveted first overall pick, surprisingly declared that he would be heading to bed immediately after the draft started at 8:00 AM ET without making his selection. Initially, this decision seemed tolerable, but as the day wore on, other team owners grew increasingly restless.
The situation took a similar turn with Ryan, who possessed the second overall pick. Despite actively participating in other league conversations while being on the clock, Ryan did not make his selection during the initial hours of his allotted pick time. As the hours ticked by, anxiety built up among the league members, and pressure from co-commissioner Brent eventually prompted Ryan to make his choice around 4:30 PM.
While Andrew and Ryan’s picks were eventually made, the slow trickle of selections that followed only intensified the mounting pressure and dissatisfaction among the league members. Compounding the issue, some team owners found themselves engaged in other prior commitments, leaving them unable to dedicate time to the draft.
The dissatisfaction with the slow draft’s sluggishness reached a tipping point, and league member Conner voiced his concerns to co-commissioner Brent. Out of frustration, Brent proposed that Conner take charge of finding an alternative time over the weekend to conduct the draft in a more traditional, real-time format. Consequently, the slow draft was indefinitely paused, and the league members hoped for a satisfactory resolution to the drafting conundrum.
Throughout Saturday and most of Sunday, the draft remained on hold as the league awaited Conner’s rescheduling efforts. While Conner made several attempts to secure a suitable time slot for Sunday afternoon, a scheduling conflict involving Andrew rendered the rescheduling endeavor futile, preventing the league from reconvening for a real-time draft.
After several discussions and failed attempts at a different format, the league collectively agreed to resume the slow draft on Sunday night with modified clock rules.
Finally, the draft was completed on Wednesday, August 24th, bringing an end to the slow draft experiment and concluding the arduous selection process. Nevertheless, despite the draft’s completion, the slow draft experiment received negative reviews among the league members, with several expressing their disappointment and frustration over the extended duration and logistical challenges it introduced.
Podcast Incident
On the night the draft concluded, Conner made an appearance on the weekly podcast, I Can’t Deal with This, which he co-hosts with two of his other friends. During the podcast’s opening segment, while discussing pet peeves, Conner chose to express his frustrations about the draft and the subsequent rescheduling efforts. His co-host, Jacob, joined in, leveling accusations against the league, claiming that its members lacked consideration for one another and did not show care towards their fellow owners. Jacob’s rant appeared to be irate in nature and specifically targeted the Bowling Bros, making direct statements that they should not disrespect Conner as they had done and using strong language towards all Bowling Bros except Brent and Tyler. The podcast continued with Conner and his co-hosts making further comments that demeaned Andrew for attending a pride event and even included a disturbing remark regarding Ryan.
Shortly after the podcast was published, Andrew listened to it and expressed his disappointment to Conner through a text message. Recognizing the impact of his words, Conner later posted a blanket statement in the league’s group chat:
“So some of you are aware I said some statements that have hurt people, I’m sorry I did that in anger and I know actions speak louder than words. So here is my apology and promise to do better to not just them but the group as a hole [sic]. If you have any comments or questions please DM so we can talk about it. Thank you. I’m gonna step back now and take some time”
Conner
In the subsequent episode of the podcast, Conner issued another apology, acknowledging that he should not have brought up sensitive topics during the show. His co-host Jacob, however, remained unapologetic for his own statements but also admitted that he should not have commented on those matters during the podcast.
As a result of the escalating situation and mutual understanding among the league members, communications between Conner and the group ceased for the remainder of the fantasy football season. Due to his actions and statements, Conner’s fantasy team was disqualified from post-season play once the regular season concluded.
In June, the league formally removed Conner from its roster of team owners. To fill the vacant spot, ESPN’s AI was chosen to join the league for the upcoming 2023 season.
