Good catch, Les.

Refusing a medical is indeed a red flag - for whatever reason. Could this be simply to hide a medical condition, or gamesmanship? As we peel the onion, if gamesmanship, orchestrated by whom? And why? And with what results? Not a good look, at any level.

The fact the he refused it throws the door open for all sorts of speculation - and it's difficult to look past it much less say, "Oh, good for him!"

I can brush a quirk or two aside, but when those quirks might be indicative of underlying factors that might influence a hiring decision, I have to look closer.

I've done it both ways, and from both sides. I once made a bad hire based on a lot of "right" factors when there were a couple of slight and subtle indicators that I chose to overlook. Similarly, I once took a position that held all the promise in the world, working with people I knew and trusted, but for a CEO that I kinda felt uneasy about - despite their high praise. That move wound up costing me $30,000 out of pocket, before we consider zero earnings and career damage. And my colleagues got burned for more.

I've also made some good speculative hires - looked past the supposedly more qualified people to start the careers of promising youngsters ot take on a vet from outside the field that turned out to be exemplary high achievers.

Caleb is complex. Talent until it fairly screams and dazzles in the sunlight. But when we dispassionately strip that talent away and look at the persona being projected what do we see? For a lot of positions other than NFL quarterback you'd simply hire him, if his talent were in some other area.

Bottom line question: Does he appear as prime leadership material, which he must be - beyond being a good fit - in a "we not me" culture?

Thanks for the dialogue. I always value your point of view.