bubba9497 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Arrington tackles media By Jody Foldesy THE WASHINGTON TIMES http://www.washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20050412-115035-3780r If Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs smoothed things over with LaVar Arrington yesterday, the three-time Pro Bowl linebacker certainly didn't act like it as he exited Redskin Park in early afternoon. A day after criticizing the organization on a number of fronts, Arrington blew off a group of reporters waiting to see whether he and Gibbs had made peace. Having vented Monday about club officials -- whom he accused of rushing him back from a knee injury, not showing enough appreciation for his hard work and mishandling news of his latest surgery -- Arrington turned his venom on the media. In extremely brief comments, he took a swipe at reporters and refused to say anything positive about his meeting with Gibbs. "I'm happy about trying to get my knee together, and that's my main focus," Arrington said. "Y'all got y'all's stories that y'all want to write. Y'all want to depict me as a bad guy. I'm hurt. It is what it is. Y'all do what you want to do." He then gave a grumpy send-off before being driven away in a black BMW. "Y'all have a great day," Arrington said. "Fans, I still love you guys. And the ones who don't -- oh well." That the controversy was left awkwardly open-ended should come as little surprise given the player and the club involved. Arrington is Washington's most high-profile and outspoken star, a player who last winter levied the spectacular accusation that the club had cheated him out of $6.5 million in a contract extension. Redskin Park, meanwhile, has devolved into a theater of the absurd. In recent weeks the club has jettisoned its No. 1 receiver, lost two of its top defensive players in free agency, suffered Arrington's accusations and, Gibbs yesterday revealed, been jilted in the offseason workout program by two former University of Miami stars who want new contracts. Gibbs, the Hall of Fame coach who has found a very different NFL in his second stint, said these types of flareups have to be expected in the modern landscape. "If you are involved in an NFL team today, you've got to kind of understand there's a lot of things can happen," Gibbs said. "I made a statement the other night to [my wife] Pat, 'How could you come home every night and be worried about something?' But it's part of life. And I'm willing to say if you stacked us up against every other team, we're probably on the low side of having problems." While that last statement remains debatable, Gibbs certainly seems to have made an earnest effort to resolve the Arrington controversy. After speaking with Arrington on Monday night, the coach met with his star linebacker again yesterday and held a teleconference with surgeon James Andrews to make sure everyone was fully aware of the upcoming rehab schedule, which should have Arrington healthy by the start of training camp in July. The fact that Arrington then offered the public only a terse no-comment when asked about Gibbs' amelioration efforts didn't change Gibbs' feeling that the situation is more or less resolved. Gibbs speculated that Arrington was "just frustrated." "I can't speak for LaVar, but I know what went on in the meeting, I know what we all talked over, and then LaVar and I talked afterward," Gibbs said. "Between him and I, I think we have a good agreement. I can't guess, and I wouldn't want to speak for somebody, but I would say he's just frustrated." Like many NFL superstars, Arrington is wedded to the Redskins by the heft of his contract. His current salary cap figure of $5.5 million would swell to approximately $17 million if Washington were to trade him -- meaning the move is impossible. Washington is only about $1.5 million below the spending the limit. Despite Arrington's latest setback, the linebacker position apparently hasn't moved up the Redskins' list of priorities for the April 23-24 draft. Gibbs reiterated that he doesn't like going into any draft with a clear-cut need. He said the team feels as though it has "some options" at the position. Arrington's season, according to director of sports medicine Bubba Tyer, is "absolutely not" in jeopardy. And Gibbs spoke optimistically about the recovery of Mike Barrow, who missed last season with a knee injury but is expected to compete with Lemar Marshall to replace Antonio Pierce at middle linebacker. "Mike Barrow is progressing," Gibbs said. "It's just been a long, hard recovery there. I think he's scheduled to be full-bore running at the end of May." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzSkinsFan63 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 I just can't figure out for the life of me how Lavar can be so unhappy.. I undertsand frustrated because of the knee... but WTF? As a fan you get sick of it.. these guys say they want to win but a lot of them don't show it. Me..Me..Me.. I was liking this offseason it was quiet (hated to lose Pierce and Smoot but)...anyway..Thanks Lavar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tae Bo Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 There is a lesson in this I hope Arrington learns: Don't go looking to air dirty laundry to the media. Keep it in house, he isn't going to get any sympathy out here in the public domain and he shouldn't expect any either. If he wants out, all he has to do is give back the signing bonus and void the contract, I'm sure Gibbs would be happy to oblige. But unless he is willing to put his money where his mouth is, he should keep his mouth shut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 I'd be happy if he'd live up to his rep and started tackling on the field Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Prime Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 He didn't air dirty laundry .. It appears to me that he lied straight up.. He's behavior with the media yesterday in regards to his 2 liner, kind of shows me he knows he lied but let me blame the reporters in a vague manner and then ignore the rest of the situation.. I don't want Lavar to love me as a fan right now.. I want him to shut his mouth and play football.. That way I can love him again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsNatsFan Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Originally posted by Gothtimus I don't want Lavar to love me as a fan right now.. I want him to shut his mouth and play football.. That way I can love him again. Well said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ntotoro Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Originally posted by Gothtimus He didn't air dirty laundry .. It appears to me that he lied straight up.. I didn't think about that until my AM drive to work today. I was listening to 980 and they played sound bytes of his from right after the San Fran game, talking about how well he thought it went, how glad he was to be back and playing, etcetera and so on. Contrast that with the ramblings he made earlier this week and you can see this guy is starting to get a Tyson-esque grip on reality, which means a lack of one. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Prime Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Originally posted by ntotoro I didn't think about that until my AM drive to work today. I was listening to 980 and they played sound bytes of his from right after the San Fran game, talking about how well he thought it went, how glad he was to be back and playing, etcetera and so on. Contrast that with the ramblings he made earlier this week and you can see this guy is starting to get a Tyson-esque grip on reality, which means a lack of one. Nick Oooh yes very nice comparison to Tyson.. I agree... It's obvious his reality is completely warped. I dunno how he can truely think anyone would believe the crap he's spitting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ntotoro Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Originally posted by Gothtimus Oooh yes very nice comparison to Tyson.. I agree... It's obvious his reality is completely warped. I dunno how he can truely think anyone would believe the crap he's spitting. Not only does he believe it, he expected everyone within earshot to be sympathetic, then took it personally when we weren't... :laugh: Back to the Tyson thing... I had another funny experience on the way to work today. Mike & Michelle were about to talk about a crazy, insane athlete and started playing Cypress Hill. First thing I thought was they were about to talk about LaVar and it wound up being about Tyson afterall... :laugh: Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMac Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Yesterday's rebuttal by Arrington was his ego getting in the way. He is too embarrassed to admit he is just frustrated. I guarantee you though that he will say nothing more to the media because even he realizes now that anything he says from now on just digs his hole that much deeper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Diggler Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Cool. Now I can add the media to the litany of people out to get Lavar. I knew that list seemed a little light in my post Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budski Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 The guy just wants to play. His first couple of years here they didnt have this good of defense the year he gets hurt well..... He has to sit and cant enjoy the glory of having a good defense. He's just tired of rehab I think. He'll get it over it. quit bashing on the guy hes been one of our better players for what the past 4 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins11 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Translation: I f'd up but will not admit it to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedskinzOwnU Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Arrington is clearly not very bright. The intelligent thing would have been to calmly and rationally explain the error of his previous comments to the media. At the very least, things can't get any worse when you do that. Instead he goes on some tirade blaming the media, and insinuates that they are making stories up to depict him as a "bad guy." Here's a newsflash for you Lavar, they aren't making stories up. Your quotes, foolish as they are, are VERY clear. There is nothing ambiguous about them. You made yourself look like an ass and a baby, and now there is nothing you can do to reverse that. Deal with it and learn how to play your position half as well as lemar marshall did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrfriedm Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Lavar sucumed to frustration, and said some very stupid things. Do I think that he was wrong? Yes. Am I upset at him? Yes. Do I want him to be traded, released, or in any other way let go? NO! I think that some of you maybe over reacting just a bit, but I do agree that Lavar needs to shut his mouth and go out there and play some pro bowl type football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Prime Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Originally posted by JMac Yesterday's rebuttal by Arrington was his ego getting in the way. He is too embarrassed to admit he is just frustrated. I guarantee you though that he will say nothing more to the media because even he realizes now that anything he says from now on just digs his hole that much deeper. That would be true if his head is straight. But that kind of talk just isn't normal.. I hope it is all due to frustration and what not, but this lashing out at everyone is just nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Prime Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Originally posted by jrfriedm Lavar sucumed to frustration, and said some very stupid things. Do I think that he was wrong? Yes. Am I upset at him? Yes. Do I want him to be traded, released, or in any other way let go? NO! I think that some of you maybe over reacting just a bit, but I do agree that Lavar needs to shut his mouth and go out there and play some pro bowl type football. Agreed, I don't want to trade Lavar at all, I want him to get healthy and play well for us. I want the Redskins fans to love him again.. I've always been a huge fan of Arrington. Recently there was a poll on this site, something about who'd make the biggest impact or who was your favorite Redskins I don't remember which, but in that poll I chose Lavar. If he becomes a locker room problem though, he needs to go.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chachie Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 He's really showing some bad colors. I'm getting tired and bored of Lavar Arrington. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-Dog Night Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Originally posted by Chachie He's really showing some bad colors. I'm getting tired and bored of Lavar Arrington. Yeah, ya know, that's about sums it up. It's not a question of love or hate or anything else. Just shut up, quit acting like a prima donna, and do your best. The world doesn't revolve around you, everyone has problems, life isn't fair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Prime Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 heh .. Lavar has been mad for a few days.. According to Extremeskins ;p Lavar acting like a b!tch is 3 of the top 5 stories. Lots of lashing and blasting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMetal Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 What an incredible a-hole this guy is...filing the grievance was bad enough but now this garbage on top of it? He's done a lot more to hurt the team in the past year than he has to help it. I was sick of his tired antics before and this just cements my low opinion. Just an arrogant moron who can't pull his own head out of his *ss long enough to realize he has noone to blame but himeself for this mess. He is the WORST Redskin on the team in terms of his attittude. Sadly Taylor is not far behind but maybe that's what we should expect from these guys in the future. Keep it up showing your contempt for the team and the fans and see how many people start getting sick of it and seek their entertainment elsewhere. The NBA is learning a hard lesson in this right now. What a mess of an offseason... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadKarma Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 LaVar is a great football player who is just now encountering his first serious injury. He is panicking and confused but will be back to lead this defense come September. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thiebear Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 He seemed so happy with Carmello and everyone in the Eastern Motors commercial... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewGibbsEra Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 I used to be a HUUUUUUUGE fan of lavar, but now slowly and surely.... i wouldnt care if we traded him. Great potential-Far from living up to it. Great hype-Big mouth. He is greedy and selfish and wants all the attention. Even under marvin lewis, he talked smack cuz he didnt wanna be used as a rusher when it earned him 11sacks and a trip to hawaii. Now, the skins D is tops in the league w/o lavar and he wants attention and is putting the blame on the staff saying they "rushed" him into it???? PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEE SUCK A COC LAVAR... I MEAN PLEASE, WHY WOULD GREG W. WANT TO RUSH U BACK WHEN OUR D WAS #1 AND 2 ALL YEAR LONG WITHOUT YOUR A$$? HE IS ANGRY FOR ALL THESE REASONS AND TRYING TO THINK OF EVERY LITTLE THING TO BICH ABOUT. EVEN THE WHOLE 6.5 MILL DOLLAR DEAL. How can he say mention the 6.5mil$$$ and then after talking about it, say "but ALL i care about is my KNEE" If thats ALLLL u care about, why da hell u gon mention it u greedy selfish ass.... LAVAR, YOUR A VETERAN NOW, ACT LIKE ONE.... YOUR NOT A LITTLE OVERGROWN COLLEGE ATHLETE NOMORE. ACT LIKE A DAM PROFFESIONAL.... AND GROW UP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewGibbsEra Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Originally posted by BadKarma LaVar is a great football player who is just now encountering his first serious injury. He is panicking and confused but will be back to lead this defense come September. I'm sorry but lavar is far from bieng a "great" player. He is Great talent, but i dont know if he'll ever be a great player like ray lewis, lt, dt, and the rest of the great palyers. He is an excited and GOOD player as of rite now. He has to play every play as if it were the final play of the game, not play every play as if it was the last chance to get on the HIGHLIGHT REEL.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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