Quotables: Ryan Clark calls Roger Goodell’s treatment of Jim Irsay ‘hypocrisy’
The NFL commissioner has stated he’s waiting for charges to be brought against the Colts owner before announcing disciplinary actions, a courtesy he failed to extend to Clark’s teammate, Ben Roethlisberger, back in 2010.
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- Ryan Clark on the NFL's delayed discipline of Jim Irsay
In 2010, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Ben Roethlisberger for an incident in which a 20-year-old woman accused the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback of sexual assault, despite the fact that Roethlisberger was never charged with a crime. Ryan Clark, Roethlisberger's former teammate in Pittsburgh and current safety for the Washington Redskins, points to that as one example of the commissioner's hypocrisy in the handling of the Jim Irsay situation.
In an appearance on ESPN's First Take, Clark ripped Goodell for playing favorites with the Indianapolis Colts owner, who has yet to be disciplined for a DUI arrest in March. When asked about the situation earlier this week, Goodell said, "There have been no charges. So the answer is, until we have more information or more facts, we will let it play out."
That’s not sitting well with Clark.
“So when has having enough information been what Roger Goodell waits for to make these decisions? When does a charge necessarily warrant the penalty? We’ve seen in so many cases, Roger Goodell be judge and jury when it comes to players.”
"[Brian Hoyer is better than Johnny Manziel] by a substantial margin."
- Browns GM Ray Farmer
There’s a fine line between teaching humility and trolling. The Cleveland Browns are walking it with Johnny Manziel.
The mission to publicly dismantle the Johnny Football persona continued this week with Browns general manager Ray Farmer telling 92.3 The Fan that the gap between incumbent starter Brian Hoyer and the first-round draft pick wasn’t even close.
For now, just chalk this up to another PR move. Farmer, team owner Jimmy Haslam and head coach Mike Pettine have gone out of their way to make it well known that Manziel will have nothing handed to him in Cleveland and that he'll begin the season as the backup. They went so far as to place him third on the depth chart (behind Tyler Thigpen of all people) to open OTAs.
The Browns’ humbling strategy is probably a good move in light of Manziel’s Hollywood rep, but we’ll see how long it lasts if Hoyer loses a couple games in September.
“I am sorry that Marshawn’s not here because I just want to say how much I admire his approach to the press. I want to get some tips from him.”
- President Obama
A lot of people criticized Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch's tightlipped nature during the leadup to the Super Bowl, but he had at least one supporter in the White House.
President Obama joked about the Pro Bowler's treatment of the media during his team's trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Unfortunately -- and well, fittingly -- Lynch didn't make the trip, but at least Richard Sherman was around to take selfies with a bust of Abraham Lincoln.
Terse interviews wouldn’t gain Obama any favors with the pundits, but one thing’s for sure: saying nothing would be a lot better than the speech PFT Commentator wrote for him.
“When I watched him, I thought I was watching a young Plaxico [Burress].”
- Panthers GM Dave Gettleman on Kelvin Benjamin
Carolina Panthers first-round draft pick Kelvin Benjamin has drawn comparisons to a host of big-bodied NFL wideouts, including Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. But general manager Dave Gettleman had another comparison to make while talking to Sirius XM NFL Radio: former Steeler and New York Giant Plaxico Burress.
While off-field incidents muddied the end of Burress’ career, don’t let that obscure his productivity during his 13 NFL seasons. The 6’5, 230-pounder broke the 1,000 yard mark four times and caught at least seven touchdowns in five seasons. With almost identical size, Benjamin projects as a similar threat, at least in the eyes of Gettleman.
“He’s a better athlete than people realize, he plays faster than a lot people think and he made some ‘OMG’ catches in the rookie minicamp,” the GM said of Benjamin. “He’s talented, he has good focus, he learns well and it’s important to him. It’s really important to him.”
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