Robert Nkemdiche faces question on Ole Miss payments during Arizona presser

Laremy Tunsil didn’t do Ole Miss teammates Robert Nkemdiche and Laquon Treadwell any favors on Thursday night.

No, it wasn’t the hacks of his Twitter or Instagram accounts, it was the admission he made during a press conference about receiving payments from Ole Miss coaches during his time in Oxford.

That left both Nkemdiche, who has his own character questions to answer, and Treadwell to face the inevitable media inquisition about whether they were also on the receiving end of payments from the Rebels coaching staff.

Treadwell was taken No. 23 overall by the Minnesota Vikings and Nkemdiche followed as the third Ole Miss first-rounder at No. 29 overall.

Nkemdiche had his introductory press conference with the Arizona Cardinals on Friday.

He was asked about taking money from coaches at Ole Miss. Here’s his reported response:

Robert Nkemdiche said `no sir, no sir' when asked if he took money from coaches at Ole Miss.

— Robert Baum (@Thebaumerphx) April 29, 2016

Given time to prepare, that was the response most expected to hear. Whether it is actually true or not is probably open to interpretation, as there is no proof to indicate Nkemdiche is lying at this point.

Nkemdiche is an immensely talented defensive lineman that may turn into a steal for the Cardinals, much in the way they secured former LSU DB Tyrann Mathieu after character questions caused him to fall in the NFL Draft years earlier.

Here’s a look at Nkemdiche’s message to Cardinals fans as he prepares for a fresh start in Arizona:

First-round draft pick Robert Nkemdiche has a message for #AZCardinals fans!#CardsDrafthttps://t.co/OrX9UEmK0I

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) April 29, 2016

Nick Cole

Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.