Ernest Lover was drafted 3rd overall in the S26 ISFL draft by the Baltimore Hawks. In the run-up to the draft, Lover and his agent (Mojojojo) had many wonderful scouting conversations with teams across the league, but was particularly excited about the prospect of going to one of the two expansion teams. As a player, Lover felt like he contributed to the team equally in terms of on-field performance and off-field culture building in the locker room and surrounding community. So the idea of going to a young franchise and helping to create a feeling of team cohesion and a connection with new hometown fans appealed to him. With the expansion teams picking first (Berlin Fire Salamanders) and second (New York Silverbacks) overall and there being a number of fantastic choices early in the draft, Lover knew it might be a long shot. But he also had great conversations with the Yellowknife Wraiths picking at fourth, so in the weeks leading up to the draft he was optimistic that he would find his home.
Baltimore, with the third pick, wasn’t on Lover’s radar since they hadn’t reached out to him or his agent during the scouting process (one of only a handful of teams that had been silent). It was only after the back-end wheeling and dealings of the draft had started that Lover got a message from the GMs of the team at the time. Even though everyone was careful not to leak the ongoing draft, it was fairly clear to Lover that this meant he had been passed over by the two expansion teams and that Baltimore was now on the clock. The conversation with Baltimore was short and then the week leading up to the draft announcements was agonizing. And that’s where Lover ended up. While not his first choice, he did his best to try to fit in with his teammates and the team management, but after a full season without feeling any sense of belonging Lover and his agent asked for a trade.
Baltimore, with the third pick, wasn’t on Lover’s radar since they hadn’t reached out to him or his agent during the scouting process (one of only a handful of teams that had been silent). It was only after the back-end wheeling and dealings of the draft had started that Lover got a message from the GMs of the team at the time. Even though everyone was careful not to leak the ongoing draft, it was fairly clear to Lover that this meant he had been passed over by the two expansion teams and that Baltimore was now on the clock. The conversation with Baltimore was short and then the week leading up to the draft announcements was agonizing. And that’s where Lover ended up. While not his first choice, he did his best to try to fit in with his teammates and the team management, but after a full season without feeling any sense of belonging Lover and his agent asked for a trade.
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