Players Taking Shots At Their Former Team

[stl4life07]

How do you feel when a player take shots at their former team as soon as they are out of the building?

I personally don’t like it unless the situation calls for it. For example, I’ll turn to baseball and I’m a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. When Pujols left to join the Angels, I had no problem with him following the money but when he basically said something to the effect of the Cardinals paid Holliday more than him, I’m thinking, the only reason Holiday was on the team was to help protect you in the lineup and give you the best chance to win a World Series. It’s not as if they didn’t want to pay Pujols, it’s the fact that the Angels offered him so much money that the Cardinals wasn’t going to go that high to try and keep him.

Recently, the Rams ex player Quinn was introduced as the Dolphins newest player. He took a shot at the Rams saying he felt betrayed and was suffocating. Now he has a breath of fresh air in Miami. Like really? He didn’t act like he was suffocating before he was traded. I understand he was caught off guard when he got traded. He wasn’t a scheme fit. It’s not like the Rams did treat him well in his career. The new regime came in a helped him finally get back on track to be able to play a full season for the first time in years and find success in terms of winning the division and playing in a playoff game so for him to say he was suffocating was so uncalled for. 

[J-ALL-DAY]

I don't have too much of a problem with players taking shots at their former teams. It is a cut throat business and they are often times the ones getting screwed the most. 

[stl4life07]

4 minutes ago, J-ALL-DAY said:

I don't have too much of a problem with players taking shots at their former teams. It is a cut throat business and they are often times the ones getting screwed the most. 

I always believe you don’t burn bridges down because you might want to cross it again. Just think about Peppers. He didn’t burn the bridges down when he left Carolina. Now he is back finishing up his career there. Like Sherman taking shots at the Seahawks, like I understand he got cut but it is a business and unless he got treated badly for all those seasons or wasn’t treated right as he was heading out of the organization then why bash the team? 

[GSUeagles14]

1 minute ago, stl4life07 said:

I always believe you don’t burn bridges down because you might want to cross it again. Just think about Peppers. He didn’t burn the bridges down when he left Carolina. Now he is back finishing up his career their. Like Sherman taking shots at the Seahawks, like I understand he got cut but it is a business and unless he got treated badly for all those seasons or wasn’t treated right as he was heading out of the organization then why bash the team? 

quinns "shot" was extremely mild. honestly seems like youre being a tad sensitive. 

[stl4life07]

6 minutes ago, GSUeagles14 said:

quinns "shot" was extremely mild. honestly seems like youre being a tad sensitive. 

Maybe I might be but also I’m under the belief if you don’t have something good to say then don’t say anything at all. He knows the media is going to run with the words he said so why even say them? 

[Spartacus]

Eh I frankly don't care at all what players say. Just the same as when a player signs with a new team and says something to the effect of "This is always where I wanted to be, the fans are the greatest". Doesn't mean anything and I find it hilarious when a team that just payed a player more money than any other team thinks this kind of speak is newsworthy. 

I will say just like with regular jobs it is never good to knock your previous employer unless something truly knock worthy occurred. 

[Forge]

I don't have a problem with players taking shots at their former team. In Quinn's case, if that's how he felt, that's how he felt. I don't understand the problem. 

[The Gnat]

I don't have much of an issue with it because it is a completely competitive situation in the NFL. Now, if you are a stock boy at your local grocery store and you get a job at the other grocery store in town and you talk crap about the old store, that's very different. You don't need the motivation to stock shelves, NFL players are doing this for motivation and for building up fans liking them.

[sjfja_fkdldjs]

I definitely think it's more professional. I also don't think you need to put down your former team to build up your current team.

But I don't neccesarily have a problem with them voicing feelings.

[Lilseb93]

I don't think much of it unless it's ongoing consistent issue. Like Ajayi was a cry baby who had temper tantrums when things didn't go his way. He refused to follow directions and wanted dance for a home run instead of hit the hole and he wasn't blocking well. If numerous players bitched about Gase for the same reason then OK maybe it's an issue. They can say what they want with whatever. But words do have consequences. I don't think it's professional unless it was that toxic. 

[NFL_Announcer]

Really doesn't bother me but it tells me the player is ignorant/stupid and doesn't understand simple business.  

Sherman is a pretty intelligent guy but his message was also kind of dumb. "Seattle didn't even call me to re-negotiate"... no ****, because they know you would've wanted way more than they could afford (hence your deal with San Fran), so instead of wasting your time and theirs, they just did everyone a favor. 

Best advice I ever got super early in my career was: "Don't take it personal in business." If you're being fired/laid off or in the instance of sports cut/traded, it's because you suck at your job, no longer fit the direction of the Company/Team, or they simply can't afford you (which is a real situation for people getting laid off). 

[Nick_gb]

6 minutes ago, NFL_Announcer said:

Really doesn't bother me but it tells me the player is ignorant/stupid and doesn't understand simple business.  

Sherman is a pretty intelligent guy but his message was also kind of dumb. "Seattle didn't even call me to re-negotiate"... no ****, because they know you would've wanted way more than they could afford (hence your deal with San Fran), so instead of wasting your time and theirs, they just did everyone a favor. 

Best advice I ever got super early in my career was: "Don't take it personal in business." If you're being fired/laid off or in the instead of sports cut/traded, it's because you suck at your job, no longer fit the direction of the Company/Team, or they simply can't afford you (which is a real situation for people getting laid off). 

I'm sorry, what? What about Richard Shermans contract with SF isn't affordable? That deal is actually EXTREMELY team friendly. Also, I completely disagree that if a player speaks out about their former team it makes them "ignorant/stupid". In no way, shape or form is that even close to a reality. As a poster has already stated in here, it provides motivation to them and their new fan base. It has it's reasoning behind it. Just like when Allen Robinson got introduced to Chicago, he tried to gain the Bears support by stating he chose them over Green Bay. There's different ways to go about it based on different situations. 

[Broncofan]

As long as it’s not a total hatchet job or it’s putting all the blame on the team for past poor performance I don’t have a problem with takes like Quinn’s.  

I don’t want to see players not taking responsility for their own flaws or past issues.   But I don’t blame them for being a little salty at how the end often comes with their former team.    The contracts and CBA is so weighted to teams it’s a shock to players when the business side of the game comes up.  As long as we realize some of the issues the player has in cases like these actually is usually just a reflection of the business of football.  

I don’t think any less of Quinn or the Rams.  It’s just business at work here.  

[NFL_Announcer]

16 minutes ago, Nick_gb said:

I'm sorry, what? What about Richard Shermans contract with SF isn't affordable? That deal is actually EXTREMELY team friendly. Also, I completely disagree that if a player speaks out about their former team it makes them "ignorant/stupid". In no way, shape or form is that even close to a reality. As a poster has already stated in here, it provides motivation to them and their new fan base. It has it's reasoning behind it. Just like when Allen Robinson got introduced to Chicago, he tried to gain the Bears support by stating he chose them over Green Bay. There's different ways to go about it based on different situations. 

 

Seattle has $9.7M left, usually $3-5M is needed for rookies (although Seattle doesn't have a 2nd/3rd rounder), meaning Sherman would put them at $3M and the rookies basically $0, ultimately little flex elsewhere. Seattle came into the offseason with low cap room and the LEAST active contracts in the league. $6.5M cap hit was frankly too much this season and there's ZERO way they can afford $10M+ the following season. Granted his contract has an out with the 49ers... but what's the point? Seattle also drafted quite a bit of young secondary players who need a shot and have too much locked up in Kam/Thomas. 

To your other point, that's fine if it provides motivation and deep down they say, "Great I'm going to stick it to em!" but don't publicly burn bridges and take it as a personal attack. People choose different Companies (Teams in this instance) all the time for personal reasons and it's fine telling a new org you chose this team over the other because you like their offer. That's not bashing the other team at all. Not sure I follow what your argument is? 

[bzane]

This of course can backfire on the player.

Tiki Barber, after starring for the Giants for some years, retired after the 2006 season; free from the bondage and shortage of bro' love (as it were) from the team, Barber yowled and wept about Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning, accusing them of lack of effectiveness, lack of organization, and, borrowing a line from Arnold Schwarzenegger, said they lacked discipline.

The Giants, sans Barber, went on to win the Super Bowl the very next season, shockingly upsetting the 18-0 New England Patriots; four years later, in 2011, they repeated the miracle, again winning the Super Bowl over the Pats.

Barber, suffering from severe marital and financial woes (his line of Insect-Repelling Polynesian-Style Torches took off, but only after he sold his controlling share), attempted a comeback, coincidentally in 2011; borrowing a line from Favorite Football Cliches, he claimed it was "not about the money", as though he would suit up for the Saskatchewan Roughriders if need be for the thrill of the gridiron. Despite the usual bull market for 36-year-old running backs who have been out of the game for years, Tiki found no takers; I believe he may have tried out for the Dolphins, saying he was "taking his Game to the South Shore"; Miami somehow resisted his charms.

Perhaps had Tiki not burned the Tappan-Zee Bridge with the Giants, they might have taken him back, and he could have won a Super Bowl ring or two.