Ryan Mallett: Hungover QB Missed Carolina Panthers Meeting?

Brad Biggs of the National Football Post published a jaw-dropping report this morning that Arkansas quarterback and potential first-round pick Ryan Mallett skipped a meeting with the Carolina Panthers in early April after spending a "night on the town" in Charlotte, North Carolina. Biggs wrote:

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Mallett met team officials for dinner April 8, the day he arrived in town, but meetings the next day at Bank of America Stadium were cancelled after Mallett called and said he was sick, multiple sources told the National Football Post. It looks like Mallett will have some more questions to answer prior to next Thursday. Complicating the matter is the fact sources said Mallett was seen out on the town late following the dinner.

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Before this report, Mallett's pre-draft journey has been marked with reports of drug use, a failure to answer questions about any drug use at the NFL Scouting Combine and a report from Nolan Nawrocki that Mallett admitted to drug use in team meetings.

Wow.

How many red flags must a player have before NFL teams completely take him off their draft board?

Apparently, at least four.

Ryan Mallett's rap sheet may only feature one arrest, a 2009 public intoxication charge, but his scouting report is full of the issues mentioned above.

And he's still considered a potential first-round draft pick?

The saying goes that "talent trumps character" in the NFL, and Ryan Mallett may very well become the poster boy for that sentiment if he is drafted in the top 32 picks of the first round.

There is no denying that Ryan Mallett is a very talented passer. He has the arm strength and body to excite every NFL scout and general manager, but at what cost?

Mallett compares favorably to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as a pro prospect. Coincidentally, Roethlisberger has had his own problems off the field.

The difference? Big Ben has never been accused of drug addiction, and he's never been accused of missing meetings with a hangover.

Mallett might be a golden-armed prospect, but he has the potential to be a cancer to his NFL team.

A quarterback must lead by example, and that's hard to do when your franchise quarterback is in bed after too many tequila shots.

Update: ProFootballTalk.com has passed on a response from Mallett's agents J.R. Carroll and David Dunn.

You can find this response here.