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It’s an interesting debate. Can somebody with a sketch history of their own call out a player, or do they lack the credibility to do it?
That seems to be the debate right now regarding Sheldon Richardson’s comments about Brandon Marshall.
“The locker room is a whole lot easier to get along with now,” Richardson told reporters on Tuesday. “Let’s just say I’ve got 15 reasons why it’s better.”
A lot of people in the media are ripping Richardson for this remark. After all, he has been suspended twice, and has had some maturity issues, like going on social media and joking around before a game last season. He was also arrested for speeding in St. Louis.
You know his track record. You know the old expression about glass houses.
But even with a less than ideal track record, does that mean his words are incorrect?
First of all, keep in mind, a number of reporters sided with Marshall in this dispute, because they eat from his quote trough. And keep in mind, he’s still in town, so reporters who cover more than the Jets, like columnists, want to keep that quote gravy train rolling along. So there is an agenda behind some reporters support of Marshall.
There are people writing about Richardson’s remarks like they are somehow bad for the Jets. That is false narrative.
Perhaps those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. I get that part of this debate, but Richardson’s remarks don’t hurt the Jets in any way.
In fact, I think a lot of his teammates agree with him. Marshall’s act had worn thin with some Jets.
I’ve said it before, and I will say it again – it’s bad for a football culture to have a player doing a national TV show once a week during the season. It’s a bad idea and wouldn’t fly in places like New England. And honestly, the Chicago Bears got fed up with it, and it’s one of the reasons they shipped him out of town.
Three issues with Marshall doing that show. First off, it’s a distraction – he constantly made comments that created news, and the Jets’ reporters then asked him follow-ups on the next day, prolonging the story. Secondly, he was banged up last year. The show is taped on Tuesday. He should be living in the trainer’s room, not taking a limo to Showtime. Third – He’s making comments about opponents coming up on the Jets’ schedule because it’s a show that cover the entire league. A player on the Jets needs to be focusing on the upcoming opponent and the upcoming opponent only. Secondly, it provides ammo for opponents. Like in 2015 when he ripped Dallas DE Greg Hardy, and the Cowboys were coming up on the Jets’ schedule.
And some comments about the Jets ticked off teammates like, “The best way I can describe (the 2016 season) is, having a diaper on and never changing it. And just sitting in that diaper the whole year. That’s how our year was. It was a bad year.”
Look, I’m not defending the Jets’ miserable 2016 season, but leave those kind of comments to the press. Do you think teammate want to hear that nonsense?
So while perhaps Richardson isn’t the ideal messenger, it doesn’t mean his comments were incorrect.
May 25, 2017
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