Redshirt-junior cornerback Bradley Roby walks out of the tunnel in sweatpants before the 2014 Discover Orange Bowl Jan. 3 at Sun Life Stadium. OSU lost, 40-35. Credit: Shelby Lum / Photo editor

Redshirt-junior cornerback Bradley Roby walks out of the tunnel in sweatpants before the 2014 Discover Orange Bowl Jan. 3 at Sun Life Stadium. OSU lost, 40-35.
Credit: Shelby Lum / Photo editor

It is somewhat ironic.

Former Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby, following a report that detailed his citation for operating a vehicle while impaired, tweeted he no longer trusts the media.

“I have lost any respect I had left for the media. I take ownership in my part of it. But you run a story at least put out all fact…” Roby tweeted from his account, @BradRoby_1, Friday.

Well, in under two weeks, NFL teams will have to make a decision as to whether or not they trust Roby enough to make him a first-round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Thus far, he hasn’t earned that trust.

Formerly thought to be a potential top 10 pick, Roby’s fall through mock draft boards began last offseason in Bloomington, Ind., where he was arrested in an incident at a local bar. Charges were dropped, but nevertheless, Roby was suspended by OSU coach Urban Meyer for the first game of the season against Buffalo.

With his past issues seemingly behind him, Roby was poised for redemption on the field, where he would look to earn back his reputation as one of college football’s elite talents.

For one reason or another, however, that never happened. Roby struggled throughout the 2013 season, and as one final opportunity to prove himself a first-round lock came around, he missed it entirely.

Roby decided that it was in his best interest — thanks to injury — to sit on the sideline and watch his team take on Clemson in the 2014 Discover Orange Bowl.

A solid performance against Clemson standout wide receiver and fellow first-round prospect, Sammy Watkins, could have given Roby the boost he needed to find himself back in the top end of the draft, but it wasn’t meant to be as he watched his teammates get demolished by the speedy wideout.

With his collegiate career finished, Roby turned his attention to the NFL, and after a solid performance at the combine, he again found himself in near the top of NFL draft boards. Until this most recent incident, which will likely turn some heads.

While it was reported that Roby was drunk behind the wheel of a vehicle, Roby himself tweeted that was not the case, even posting a picture of the citation he received that showed his alcohol level far below the legal limit.

Unfortunately for Roby, whether or not he was legally drunk was not the problem. Instead, this most recent incident is yet another red flag for NFL teams who could be thinking about taking the cornerback in the first round.

It’s not so much that Roby did something egregiously wrong — as evidenced by the citation he was given — but you would think that with just two weeks until the NFL draft, which could be the biggest day of Bradley Roby’s life to this point, the embattled corner would want to stay out of any of these situations that cause trouble.

Thus far, he hasn’t proven himself able to avoid these inconveniences and its going to cost him. In the past, it cost him a game and maybe an ounce of respect. Now, however, it’s going to cost him a whole lot of money.

Roby might be able to overcome these little obstacles and go on to have a stellar NFL career, as he is very talented on the field. If I was an NFL general manager, however, I couldn’t spend a first-round pick on him, if only because I may have to deal with this laundry list of minor headaches and off-the-field issues.

Bradley Roby is not a bad apple — that I firmly believe. He has, however, cost himself the opportunity of a lifetime to become a first-round pick and will therefore have to spend his first NFL seasons proving the many general managers and owners who pass on him during next month’s draft wrong.