Texans' Laremy Tunsil turning notorious gas-mask bong video into NFT
The video caused Tunsil to slide in the draft before he was eventually selected No. 13 overall by the Miami Dolphins.
With the 2022 NFL Draft just a day away, Houston Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil is hoping to turn a negative draft day memory into a positive one.
Just six years ago, a video was released showing Tunsil smoking marijuana with a bong and a gas mask just before the start of the 2016 NFL Draft.
That video, which was posted on his Twitter account, caused Tunsil, who was projected as one of the top picks, to fall down the draft board before he was eventually selected No. 13 overall by the Miami Dolphins.
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Laremy Tunsil of Ole Miss holds up a jersey with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being picked #13 overall by the Miami Dolphins during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in C (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Hoping to put that negative experience in the past, Tunsil announced Wednesday that he is turning that infamous gas mask video into a non-fungible token (NFT).
"For the past 6 years, I've been asked about this moment. The gas mask. I've spent 6 years trying to do rather than say - on the field and off the field," Tunsil wrote on Twitter. "I'm officially moving on and putting this moment in the past."
Tunsil says he is minting a 1 of 1 NFT of the gas bong video to be listed, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting The Prisoner Project, a non-profit that supports those incarcerated for marijuana offenses.
Tunsil, a two-time Pro Bowler, has said the video was posted after his account was hacked.
Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil during training camp at Doctors Hospital Training Facility at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Fla., on July 28, 2019. (John McCall/Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Following its release, Tunsil ended up being the third tackle taken in the first round, behind Ronnie Stanley, who went to the Baltimore Ravens at No. 6, and Jack Conklin, who the Tennessee Titans grabbed at No. 8.
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Tunsil spoke about the incident during an interview with Complex last November, saying he found out after his agent told him, "Just check your Instagram and Twitter."
"My heart dropped," said Tunsil. "An unexplainable feeling. I didn’t know what to say, like I was speechless. In my mind, I’m like, ‘Oh, please, don’t let this mess up my night. Please don’t let me drop to the second-round because I’mma be going crazy.’"
"Probably one of the worst feelings I ever experienced in my life," he added. "I don’t wish that situation, that experience on nobody else."
After his stint with the Dolphins, Tunsil was traded to the Texans in 2019 in exchange for a pair of first round draft picks. He signed a massive extension with the team in 2020.
Houston Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (78) prepares to block in the fourth quarter of an NFL Divisional round playoff game between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs on January 12, 2020, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Last season, Tunsil injured his thumb in October and started just five games.
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The video remains part of draft day lore.