For 11 long and emotional minutes, Kyler Murray took the podium Thursday and defended himself and his work ethic as an athlete.
You can’t blame him. Earlier this week, an addendum to his newly agreed upon $230 million (160 million guaranteed) contract with the Arizona Cardinals was made public. It required Murray to complete four hours of “independent study” during the week before each match. This in addition to studying with coaches and teammates.
It required Murray to study “personally” and not while “engaging in any other activity that might distract him” (such as watching television, playing video games or surfing the Internet).
This clause is rare, if not unheard of, in NFL contracts. It suggests the Cardinals don’t believe Murray is putting in the time necessary to maximize his talent, or at least want to protect their massive investment in their former No. 1 pick in case he doesn’t work hard enough going forward.
If not, why mention it, let alone put it in writing?
Murray was horrified at the consequences of the story and struck out… just at the wrong targets.
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He called the suggestion from fans and the media that it is not properly driven and focused on a “joke” and “disrespectful”.
“I’m flattered that you all think that at my size (5-foot-10) I can come out and not prepare for the game and not take it seriously,” Murray said.
In fact, few, if anyone, thought so until the details of the contract came out.
Murray is an undersized quarterback who nevertheless won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma (while also playing baseball), went high in the draft and was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. Murray joined a 3-13 team and in three seasons got them to the playoffs.
It hasn’t been perfect. Questions remain about his ceiling and durability, but the resume above doesn’t happen by accident.
“Of course I watch the film for myself, that’s a fact,” Murray said. “That goes without saying.”
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It wasn’t … until the Cardinals decided to mention it in the contract, Murray’s agent left it there, and then Murray himself signed the deal.
If Murray studying film for himself goes without saying, then why did he say it… and did Murray himself accept it?
Murray should be pissed that all of this has come out. His professionalism is questioned. He questions his commitment. His leadership is questioned. He questions everything.
But none of this was to come.
Kyler Murray defended himself because of the “independent study” clause in the contract, which makes sense. But he addressed the fans and the media, which he didn’t. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
He should be mad at the Cardinals, who apparently brought it up. The entire annex is ridiculous and serves no other purpose than to appear to embarrass their franchise quarterback. What would Arizona do? Who knows, other than that it’s Arizona.
How exactly would the franchise prove that Murray isn’t engaged in “independent study” that could take place in his home anyway? How would they know that a video game isn’t being played on another device or that the TV isn’t on in the room?
The contract does not mention putting cameras in Murray’s home or tracking his every move on the Internet.
So it’s a mostly unenforceable clause that somehow turned a positive for the Cardinals, locking up their star quarterback for the future, into a character assassination and thus put a question mark on it.
The team did it. Not the fans and the media who simply consumed the information as any reasonable person would.
And Murray did just that by accepting the deal. This is what a contract is. Here are the terms, here the clauses and here the compensation. Murray should have been affected before he agreed. Instead, he got what he got.
“I refuse to give up my work ethic, my [preparation] for that matter,” Murray said. “I’ve put an unfathomable amount of time and blood and sweat and tears and work into what I do, whether it’s football or baseball. People don’t understand the amount of time it takes to playing two high level sports in college, let alone being the first person my size to do it. It’s fun.
“But to those of you who thought that I would be here today, in front of you, without having a work ethic and without preparation, I’m honored that you think that. But it doesn’t exist. It’s not possible. It’s not possible.”
The frustration is understandable. Hurt feelings too.
It is the Arizona Cardinals, however, who drafted the addendum that questioned his readiness.
And Kyler Murray who, for some reason, agreed.