The NFL season hasn’t begun, and the league is already embroiled in controversy.
The league is in court battles for multiple reasons.
Now a Hall of Fame quarterback made an eye-opening accusation against one team.
The NFL continues to steer head-on into controversies.
The latest one revolves around Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
Last season, there were whispers that he lacked maturity for the leader of a team.
Murray’s season ended in a disastrous wildcard loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Not long after, Murray removed all references to the Cardinals from his social media page.
After several months of back-and-forth, Murray signed an extension with the Cardinals for $230.5 million.
However, there was language in the contract that said Murray must study an additional four hours per week outside the facility.
The “independent study” in his contract was defined as:
“Player studies the material provided to him by the Club in order to prepare for the Club’s next upcoming game, including without limitation any such material provided via an iPad or other electronic device. Time spent in mandatory meetings shall not constitute Independent Study…Player shall receive no credit for Independent Study for any period during which Player does not personally study the provided material in good faith. For the avoidance of doubt, Player shall not receive an credit for Independent Study with respect to any time periods during which any material is displayed on an iPad or other electronic device if (a) Player is not personally studying or watching the material while it is being displayed or played or (b) Player is engaged in any other activity that may distract his attention (for example, watching television, playing video games or browsing the internet) while such material is being displayed or played.”
The Cardinals caught heat after the independent study clause was leaked, so they eventually removed it.
But it’s impossible to unring the bell.
And Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon blasted the Cardinals for giving Murray so much money if they had these concerns about him.
Moon also said the ordeal added to the stereotype of black quarterbacks being ill-prepared.
He explained, “It’s an embarrassing situation for not only the player, Kyler Murray, but it’s embarrassing for the organization to have to deal with this…I think it shows a lack of trust in the player that you even have to put something in a contract like this…It also is a slap in the face to all African American quarterbacks because that’s something that we were always accused of back in the day when they didn’t let us play. Is that we were lazy. That we didn’t study. That we couldn’t be leaders. That we weren’t smart…He’ll have this riding on him every time he does something wrong in a football game…It’s a very unfortunate situation for him. And very embarrassing for both sides.”
Murray was obviously none too pleased with the implication that he does not work hard.
He said, “To think that I can accomplish everything that I’ve accomplished in my career and not be a student of the game and not have that passion and not take this serious, it’s disrespectful. And it’s almost a joke.”
Murray has put up good numbers in his first three years, but the Cardinals have a habit of fading down the stretch of seasons.
Last year, the Cardinals started 7-0, but finished with an 11-6 record and got blasted 34-11 in the first round of the playoffs.