LaVar Arrington responds to Clinton Portis
I've transcribed more Commanders radio interviews than almost anybody alive, but LaVar Arrington's response to Clinton Portis Monday afternoon is well beyond my powers to communicate. You simply have to listen to the second segment yourself. (
Download the audio here.)
Saying Arrington was passionate doesn't do it justice. Saying his voice was raised doesn't either. I don't think I've ever heard sports-talk radio quite like this, and I reckon you haven't either.
Again, the words can't come close to describing the emotion involved, but because this is what I do, I'll include some lengthy highlights. Obviously, this all started when Portis told the NFL Network that LaVar "didn't want to be in D.C. any more. He gave back $15, 20 million to leave D.C., because he felt like he wasn't the main money guy, because everybody was getting [paid]....It was like whoever gets the money was the captain."
Arrington took this as an affront to his leadership skills and as a suggestion that he was all about money, and so the bomb went off. I'm going to do this in chronological order, and I'm going to skip some stuff because otherwise you'd be here all day, and I'm going to use headlines to make it easier to read. Here's what he said.
The Arrival in D.C.
"I am looking around a field, and as fate would have it, just listen to some of these names, just listen to some of these names," Arrington said. "Champ Bailey. Mark Carrier. Darrell Green. Andre Reed. Dana Stubblefield. Brad Johnson. Deion Sanders. Larry Centers. Marco Coleman. Stephen Davis. Dan 'Big Daddy' Wilkinson. Chris Samuels, my litter mate. Jon Jansen. Irving Fryar. Bruce Smith. I am on the field as a 21-year old young man that has fulfilled the first part of a dream, to make it onto a professional team and actually be something that I wanted to be my whole life. I'm sitting here as a professional, beside myself that I am actually on the same field as these individuals.
"I'm not sitting there looking at these guys like, 'Got that job. Yeah, I'm the man. No. 2 pick. I'm this. Look at my car. Look at my jewels. Look at my house.' I'm not sitting there doing that. I am out there and I'm actually in a situation where I could not even breathe. This is literal. I could not breathe when I was going into the huddle for the plays, because I could not believe that Deion Sanders was tapping me on my shoulders....I could not believe that Darrell Green is standing right there, looking at me, saying my name. Saying my name...."
"And when those practices were over, I was no different than the people who stood behind those barriers cheering for those players on that field. And that was why I was so endearing to those fans, because we were the same person. That's why I had no problem staying hours--not minutes, I had no problem staying hours--after practices with those fans. Because I knew if they knew what I knew, and they felt the way that I felt, if they were in my shoes I would want the same thing in return."
The Money, Part I
"I'm not a part-timer. When I came to play, I played. Understand something, understand something, listen, to question if I played for money, to question that, I've gone through numerous surgical procedures to be able to continue to play. Ok. So be it. When I played, I played. There were no hidden agendas. Listen, the love that I brought to the locker room for my teammates was reciprocated back, because they knew that my heart and my passion was for US. U-S. For us to go out there and be the best that we could be. Everyone knew that. Everyone. Everyone....
I restructured my contract two times as a Washington Commanders football player so that we could bring in players and challenge for a Super Bowl championship. Not one time, I restructured my contract two separate times, and as a result of one of those restructurings, how ironic that the name you use, I was insecure about Laveranues Coles and you. Well, that restructuring brought in Laveranues Coles. I was asked how I felt about that. Of course I would love to have a Laveranues Coles on our team."
The Money, Part II
"I did not want to have to leave D.C., so let's be clear on that. When everything transpired and all this stuff took place, ironically enough for Clinton to say that it was about the money and people were making money like LaVar and this and that, I was still the highest paid Commander on this team. I was still, with the contract situation, I was still the highest paid Commander on this team....
"It was never about money with me. It was the principles involved with what was going on. I gave everything for this team to win, and when I mean everything, I gave everything for this team to win. Everything. So to be accused of being a leader because of the money makes no sense to me."
Leadership, Part I
"And this is what I want you young kids that are listening to understand, it's your work ethic. It's your ability to make somebody better. It's your ability to believe not only in yourself but in others that you are going to war with. It's when you go into the weight room when you're not even supposed to be in the weight room. It's when you bring people with you. It's when people around you accept the fact that there is something different about you, that can take me in a place that I would want to go. And people follow. That's what a leader is. That's what you should strive for. That's what you wrap your mind around.
"I was a great leader when I played for this team. I don't care what anybody says. I was a great leader because I was a great follower. Understand what I'm telling you, the message that I'm sending right now is for someone who will be a great leader in the future, because somebody wasn't sitting here trying to go back and forth about minute situations, minute issues but representing us wrong, representing the football players of the National Football League wrong, representing the Washington Commanders wrong.
"This is the message. I followed Champ Bailey, I followed D.Green, I followed Marco Coleman, I followed Bruce Smith, I followed those guys. Do you know why? Because they were great. They were great. And I took the time to learn what made Deion Sanders great. I took the time to understand what made those guys that I watched play in front of me, I took the time to understand what made them great and I applied it. I applied that. That's what made me a leader. Not because I went out there and told somebody to follow me. Not because I went out there and tried to convince the media that people should view me as a leader. And definitely for darn sure not bringing up a contract and how much the contract was worth."
Leadership, Part II
"So it wasn't about me saying how much money I had and that's why I should be a leader here. That's preposterous for someone to even think or assume that. For the same injury that a man stayed out four weeks for, how short our memories are, I had the same injury. Knocked unconscious in a game. Went in the locker room, got myself together, and oh yeah, I came back out and intercepted a ball against the Carolina Panthers and got a touchdown that some would say helped turn that season around, where we won eight games straight. A concussion. That's what I was diagnosed with, a concussion.
"I came out and I strapped up and I played. I played. And I played for the fans of D.C., and I played for my teammates, and I played and I led as a leader. Not with my mouth. With my actions. That is the message. That is the message. Don't try to talk your way to where you want to be."
The Legacy
"I respect the game. I would have never argued with Sam Huff. I would have never argued with Brian Mitchell. I would never have argued with John Riggins. I would never have argued with Sonny Jurgensen. I would not disrespect the people who were the forerunners, who were the people who set the bar where it needed to be for us to be willing to dream and try to achieve. I would never disrespect that. I would never take that and spit on that, like that is not something that is as precious as the gold that we all spend money on. I would not disrespect that.
"So what I'm saying is, I understand my history. I understand my history. I understand the Washington Commanders was the last team to integrate African Americans or any other minorities to be able to play. I understand that. And the first person to come here was one of my friends and one of my mentors, in Bobby Mitchell. If I understood how much this man had to go through to be where he was at in his life, I would not dress up as a fairy to try to get attention from the media. I would not do that. Knowing what this represents, I would not do that.
"I protect this with my heart, I protect this with my soul, I would not do that for just attention. Understand the message, because this message is for the ones out there that are our athletes of tomorrow. We are losing a battle here. Our battle is not about who gets the most publicity. Our battle is not about who makes the most touchdowns or makes the most money. Our battle is being someone that the next generation can sit back and look at you and be proud about what you are, what you represent, what you say, what you do.
"That's worth more than all of those things. That's worth more than all of those things. Not even close. Not even measurable. Understand, I am upset right now, because we continue to depict ourselves in a way that is not right. And for what? For some attention? What's your motivation?"
The Money, Part III
"I will end it with this. You want to talk about leadership? And money? Ok, well here's a great example of leadership and money. When I was at the end of the last season that I played in Washington as a Washington Commander...they had to renegotiate numerous contracts.....I said let me be a free agent so I can go, and you can do it that way, or else I'm not doing anything. Selfish. Selfish of me. It was selfish.
"I get a call from Renaldo Wynn, my family, my teammate. I get a call from Cornelius Griffin, my family, my teammate. And you know what they say to me? They say to me, if we don't get this stuff restructured, if you don't restructure it and this collective bargaining agreement doesn't get done, we will be out of jobs. We will lose our jobs, because of how high your cap number is, and all the people that they have tried to restructure to be able to be under this cap.
"Ok. So if that's the situation, you're telling me these are my teammates, these are my soldiers, we go to war together, I humble myself for a great purpose and I called the Washington Commanders and I told them there would be one condition that I would restructure my contract. If you think I'm lying, you can call Joe Gibbs, you can call the Washington Commanders. Ask them. I told them the restructured contract of every single individual on the defensive unit, if those contracts are guaranteed as opposed to just being stuck somewhere in a drawer...you honor the contracts and I will restructure my deal....I was unselfish, and I was a leader, and I am proud of that to this day.
"The Commanders did not guarantee those guys their contracts. They did not. So therefore I did not restructure my contract....It wasn't $15, $20 million that I threw away to get away from Clinton Portis. It was a $3 million bonus that I was due, that I took $1 million of it instead of 3. You keep the 3, you give me the 1, and let's part our ways.
"That is how it all transpired. Not me running away, not me vacating because I couldn't handle the strong shadow that Clinton Portis's aura or whatever is [casting] over me, I couldn't handle it. This is bigger than that. And for somebody to be ignorant about it is what it is, but this is not about me attacking Clinton. This is about me talking to the next generation of guys, that I hope you listen to what I said and understand that there is a bigger purpose in your life when you have the ability to affect and influence others. That's my message to you, and I'm done with it. But that is my rebuttal."
By Dan Steinberg | February 8, 2010; 11:41 PM ET
to the Midget!
