The best story from yesterday's five rounds of the NFL Draft has to be that of Demetrius Bell, an offensive lineman out of Northwestern State drafted by the Buffalo Bills. He's the son of former Mexican-girl-chasing NBA superstar Karl Malone. Not that either Malone or Bell is particularly happy about it.
Bell had never tried to make contact with Malone until he was 18. Malone was not particularly ecstatic to meet his prodigal son.
At the time, Malone told Bell that, "It was too late for him to be his father and that Bell would 'earn his money on his own,"' the NFL notes said. Malone could not be reached for comment. As for Bell, he's happy to have made it this far on his own.
"Nothing against him, but I feel good at this time. If he would've been there, yeah, it would've been good. But if not, it's even better," said Bell, also the half brother of WNBA Detroit Shock forward Cheryl Ford. "Everything's a plus right now."
Bell, incidentally, was also on the Northwestern State basketball team that beat Iowa in the NCAA Tournament a couple of years ago.
Poor Karl Malone. You just try to ignore yet another kid who claims he's your dad, and the kid has the nerve to get draft by the NFL and actually include your parenting in his player notes. The hassle of being a professional athlete never ends.
Bell Drafted By Bills; Puts Father Karl Malone Behind Him [Canadian Press]