Russell Wilson Mishandling Makes Sean Payton 'A Bush-League Thug': ESPN Analyst
Our position on the problem with the Denver Broncos' handling of Russell Wilson is not, contrary to the thoughts of many, about the money. Nor is it about coach Sean Payton's right to want to go in another direction, long-term, short-term, any-term, at quarterback.
Football is a business. Wilson, the former Seattle Seahawks star, knows that from all sides, including sides that have benefitted him, financially and otherwise.
No, what we've always been troubled by in Payton's handling of Wilson is that the coach seemed driven, for whatever reason, to completely undermine Wilson - publicly and frequently. And now that it's all blowing up in the Broncos' faces (their benching of Wilson in favor of Jarrett Stidham is about avoiding possibly paying an injury guarantee of an additional $37 million on Wilson's contract)?
The lack of respect shown Wilson is now resulting in smart observers declining to offer respect to Payton.
Sean Payton has behaved as a thug since he became the coach of the Denver Broncos," former NFL player Ryan Clark said on ESPN's "Get Up.'' "Everything he did (to Wilson) was absolutely bush-league.''
Clark rips Payton to shreds here, in passionate detail. for how he handled his working relationship with Wilson. He mentions the recent sideline blowup against Detroit during which a national TV audience watched the coach scream at the player for no apparent reason. He mentions the infamous "Stop kissing babies'' order, noting how different that was to how he managed his QB in his previous stop.
From Clark: "He tells Russell Wilson, 'You have to stop kissing babies, stop behaving as if you're running for office.' Nobody kissed more babies in New Orleans than Drew Brees!''
Wilson, of course, will be fine. He's 35. He's fabulously wealthy. Talk has already turned to where he might play in 2024. And as near as we can tell, he's conducted himself, while constantly under fire from his own coach, in a highly professional manner - which could pay off for him as he seeks employment elsewhere.
And how does Sean Payton come out of this? With two damning tags. "Bush-league.'' And "thug.''
