INDIANAPOLIS — Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett dismissed multiple reports of character issues when confronted by reporters Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine, saying, “I’m not going to talk about that right now.”

“I’ve got the interviews with the teams, and the teams need to know what they need to know, and I’m going to leave it at that,” Mallett said as the character-related questions came fast and furious.

Mallett went so far as to suggest sabotage: “Obviously someone did that for a reason, right before the combine.”

Mallett called himself a “great person” and said anyone asking his coaches and teammates about his character would hear the real story. Asked if he was troubled by the accusations, he said, “No, it doesn’t bother me.”

Mallett, a top prospect whose draft stock could be affected by the rumors, also said he had no idea where they started.

“I can’t tell you,” he said. “When I saw that stuff, I laughed about it. … You can’t control it, though.”

Mallett, a 6-foot-6 signal-caller who guided Arkansas to its first BCS bowl game last season, leaves the school after two seasons as the starter. He led the Southeastern Conference in passing, throwing for 3,869 yards and 32 touchdowns.

Mallett started his college career at Michigan before transferring to Arkansas, where he broke the school record for most TD passes in a season (30) in 2009, then reset that mark this past season with 32. His career total of 62 TD passes is tops in school history.

– Marc Sessler

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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