Cris Carter urged NFL rookies to have a “fall guy”

Real Talk from Chris Carter:

A recent ESPN feature on former 49ers linebacker Chris Borland described Borland as “appalled” by what he heard at the 2014 Rookie Symposium, when a former NFL player told the rookies that they should have a “fall guy” in their crew who would take the blame if they faced legal trouble. What ESPN failed to mention is that the former player who gave that appalling advice was an ESPN employee, Cris Carter.

Although the ESPN feature says that Borland “declined to name” the player, the writers easily could have identified Carter as the source of the comments, because the video of Carter’s presentation at the Rookie Symposium is available at NFL.com.

The presentation went basically how Borland described it in the ESPN feature: Carter told rookies that they should have one friend who will be willing to take the blame if they ever get into trouble. Warren Sapp, onstage along with Carter, agreed.

“If you all got a crew, you got to have a fall guy in the crew,” Carter said. “If you all have a crew, one of those fools got to know, he’s the one going to jail. We’ll get him out.”

Sapp then repeated, “We’ll get him out.”

Those comments didn’t sit well with Borland, and they likely won’t sit well with most people hearing them now. But the NFL apparently didn’t have a problem with what Carter said: His presentation was posted on the league’s own website, and Carter was invited back to speak at this year’s Rookie Symposium.

UPDATE 5:23 p.m. ET: Shortly after we posted this item, NFL.com removed the video.

Cris Carter urged NFL rookies to have a “fall guy”

 

I'm sure the full video was somehow taken out of context.

 

I'm not surprised that the NFL would give tacit approval to such a statement. I don't think Goodell and the owners really care how the players act. They care that the players' misbehavior does not reflect badly on the league or keep the player from being available on game day.

But to put the video on the league website, not realizing just hos bad that sounds? I guess none of us should be surprised that members of the league office keep stepping on their own dicks.

 

How did it take a year for this to come out?

 

Goodell is looking for his fall guy.

 

I'm sure this week "CC" will get his usual rub and tug from ESPN on Mike and Mike.

 

It's so unsurprising that ESPN reported on the advice, but failed to mention who gave it. Speaking of fools ...

 

I don't think the reporters knew who it was. Certainly those reporters wouldn't shy away from it. They've taken on their employer before and will do so again.

 

At some point, the idiot commissioner is going to get fired.

Warren fucking Sapp is your advice-giver. Jesus fucking Christ.

 

Why the fuck would the NFL choose Warren Sapp and Chris Carter as the guys to lecture rookies on how to live their life away from the field? Was Pac Man Jones unavailable?

 

I believe Rae Carruth may be available in a few more years.