Former Auburn coach Sen. Tommy Tuberville offers advice to incoming NFL Draft prospects

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Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., offered some advice to the incoming NFL Draft class this week.

The former Auburn Tigers football coach told TMZ Sports this week that while it’s "fine" for everyone to have their own opinions, athletes should stick to what they know best.

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"I think people should downplay politics more, be more involved in what they do," he told the outlet. "Everybody wants to make an opinion and that's fine, but, I think, especially for young people to get involved in something that maybe they might not understand as much, I think they need to let people that, whatever they do for a living, justify it."

When asked if "outspoken" players can be a turnoff for teams, the senator said that players need to be "careful" about what they post on social media. 

"Not be quiet, just be careful," he said before adding, "talk about what you know about. Be gentle with your speech. Also treat people with humility, nobody's looking for an outspoken person. We're too divided as it is."

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He added that his hope is to see the "country be more settled down in terms of people getting into politics or in sports and vice versa."

Tuberville ran for the U.S. Senate seat in Alabama in 2020 and defeated Democrat incumbent Doug Jones.

He began his coaching career in 1980 as an assistant at Arkansas State University before getting the head coaching position at Ole Miss in 1994 but he is best known for his time at Auburn where he served as head coach from 1998 until 2008. 

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The 2021 NFL Draft is set to kick off with the first round starting Thursday at 8 p.m. ET in Cleveland, Ohio.