Some moments in an athlete’s career are impossible to forget, not because of what happened on the field, but because of how the world watched. For Tennessee Titans star Jeffery Simmons, one painful memory from his NFL Draft Day still lingers as he shares his two cents about how he felt on that night,

“It was hard,” Simmons said on The Pivot Podcast. “It still kills me when guys are getting ready to get drafted and people bring up old stuff because I went through that. It went from an exciting moment in that room with my family to turning off the TV… I mean, I got the call. I mean, we were waiting on my name to get called. But then boom. They go to ESPN putting up this video. Reason why I kind of still got a little beef with ESPN.

“But that’s supposed to be a moment of happiness, and it still. I’ll never forget my draft night, but I never forget that happening. That happened when I was in high school before I even graduated high school… But it was like, now is this what people really about to think of me and your biggest. I didn’t know how even the Tennessee Titans was going to accept me.”

The controversial video came from a public altercation that took place in Jeffery Simmons’ life back in 2016, before he entered Mississippi State University.

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The incident took place at an apartment complex in Macon, Mississippi, because of a long-standing dispute between Simmons’ family and a local woman. According to statements provided later by Mississippi State, the incident started as a physical fight between Simmons’ sister and another woman, identified as Sophia Taylor.

Later, Simmons and other family members intervened. However, a bystander’s cell phone captured Taylor on the ground while Simmons stood directly over her and struck her before walking away.

The NFL DT pleaded no contest to simple assault and was found guilty of malicious mischief. Simmons paid a fine, covered the victim’s medical bills, and also issued a public apology clarifying that he was reacting to horrific comments made about his deceased nephew. But because of this arrest, the NFL barred Simmons from participating in the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine.

Later, when the Tennessee Titans picked Jeffery Simmons in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, ESPN chose not to show the traditional “war room” celebration or immediate highlights of his college football career. Instead, the network aired the 2016 video of the public altercation, which seemingly discouraged the Titans DT before even making his NFL debut.