Nick Piccone
Not everybody is hating on Sam Bradford for the way he acted like a petulant little baby by demanding a trade from the Eagles after they moved up to the No. 2 overall spot in the NFL Draft. Most of the media and fans had it out for Bradford, saying he was ridiculous to pull such a stunt after signing a two-year contract with the Eagles, which, as I’ve said before, is essentially a one-year deal.
Those are just the facts. Bradford didn’t want to go out and have the best season of his career and make the decision that much harder for the Eagles to choose between him and Wentz. Ron Jaworski went in on Bradford, saying he needs to apologize to the front office and the fans for his “holdout.” He held out in 1986, but that’s besides the point.
Another former Eagle who was in a contract dispute in 2002 was Jeremiah Trotter. Known now for his recent appearances on 97.5 The Fanatic, Trotter didn’t pull any punches when he was asked about the Bradford saga at Jaws’ Ramblewood Country Club grand opening on Wednesday. He said that fans and media may be hard on Bradford, but his teammates won’t because they understand what’s going on. Here’s what he said, via NJ.com:
It doesn’t,” Trotter said Wednesday at the grand opening of Ron Jaworski’s Ramblewood Country Club, when asked if Bradford’s situation will impact the dynamic of the Eagles’ locker room. “The players understand. Especially the older ones, they understand that it’s a business. You have two sides. You have the football side and the business side. They understand that sometimes in business, these things happen.”
I get that the players understand each other more than anyone else, but how could any of Bradford’s teammates look him in the eye and think he’s nothing more than a guy who wants everything handed to him in his career rather than earn his right to start for an NFL team? Hell, the Eagles are basically handing him the starting quarterback job without any true competition this year. But, Trotter doesn’t think the players will think, or should think, like that at all, apparently.
Trotter says that that sort of camaraderie and mentality was prevalent during his playing days as well.
“When we’re talking among ourselves,” Trotter said. “We understand that you have to do what’s best for you. In his case it’s ‘you’re the leader, you’re the quarterback, but ultimately you have to do what’s best for you.’ When he came back, I don’t think there were any hard feelings.”
Some have suggested that Bradford will need to mend fences with teammates who felt betrayed that he requested a trade prior to the NFL Draft once it was apparent that his days were numbered with the Eagles. Trotter says that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“He doesn’t owe anyone anything,” Trotter said. “Like I said earlier, teammates understand. They want what’s best for the player. Things like that happen. He came back the other day. There’s no hard feelings. It’s just about getting back to work.”
Of course, Trotter isn’t in the locker room now. He might have some inside information due to his connections, but he also might be just spittin’ nonsense. Who knows? But Trotter, who was a radio personality on 94WIP and 97.5 The Fanatic after his playing days, doesn’t seem to care what the fans think.
Though, to be fair, I think an apology from Bradford will make things worse. I don’t know why, just a gut feeling.
Jon Runyan also doesn’t think Bradford’s absence matters. More from CSN Philly:
I thought football was a team game. Much like all professional sports. All this “me” talk is starting to piss me off.
That’s because you’ve never played the game or played in team sports apparently. Bradford is liked by most of his teammates and plays hard every single snap. Some of his teammates can’t say the same. Bradford needs to be left alone. He came back. His teammates welcomed him back and that’s all that matters. Fans now are so fickle they need to just shut up and let things play out!!!
I’ve actually had the same opinion since this entire thing began. And I have played in team sports.