It took them way longer than expected, but the Arizona Cardinals and Kyler Murray eventually agreed on terms of a contract extension. He’s now one of the NFL’s highest-paid players, but that came with some interesting conditions.
For starters, the Cardinals included an ‘independent study addendum’ that requires him to watch film for at least four hours during game weeks. That’s additional to the mandatory and regular team preparation.
Needless to say, that prompted plenty of criticism and mockery around social media. That’s why the former first-overall pick decided to step up, grab the mic, and let everybody have a piece of his mind.
NFL News: Kyler Murray Shut Downs Critics About His Work Ethic
“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 almost… it’s disrespectful and it’s almost a joke,” Murray said.“I’m flattered. I’m honestly flattered that y’all think that, at my size, I can go out there and not prepare for the game and not take it serious.”
“Of course, we all watch film,” Murray added.“That doesn’t need to be questioned. But I refuse to let my work ethic, my preparation be questioned.To those of you out there that believe that I could be standing in front of you all without having a work ethic or preparing, I’m honored that you think that, but it doesn’t exist. It’s not possible.”
Cardinals Remove ‘Independent Study’ Clause From Murray’s Contract
Ironically, Murray himself had admitted that he didn’t watch a lot of film, claiming that his cognitive skills allowed him to make adjustments in real-time. Still, the team rathered shut down all controversy and removed the clause from the contract, according to a statement:
“After seeing the distraction it created, we removed the addendum from the contract,” read the statement. “It was clearly perceived in ways that were never intended. Our confidence in Kyler Murray is as high as it’s ever been and nothing demonstrates our belief in his ability to lead this team more than the commitment reflected in this contract.”
There were rumblings and rumors about Murray’s lack of leadership and spoiled character, and the fact that they included this clause and then took it back only raises more questions than answers.
