Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald, three days after his brother Marcus became unhinged, Twitter style, has addressed the appearance that a rift exists between Larry and Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner.
“I kind of chuckled about it because everybody in here
knows me and Kurt’s relationship and that is never going to be affected
by anything outlandish like that,” Fitzgerald said, per ESPN.com’s Mike Sando. “Anybody that knows
me and Kurt knows that is my closest friend on the team. He has always
been there for me and I am always going to be there for him, long after
I can’t run and catch anymore and long after he can’t throw anymore. I
am still going to be his friend, he is still going to be my friend and
that is the way our relationship is always going to be.”
Fitzgerald also said he was “disappointed” by the comments from Marcus, and that Marcus will be working at Warner’s next football camp, apparently as a penance for calling Kurt an “old ass man” and saying that Kurt plays like he is 80 years old. “He is going to be taking out the garbage and whatever else Kurt needs,” Larry F. said. (Changing Kurt’s diaper?)
Larry also denied that he is frustrated by the lack of balls thrown in his direction. (He is averaging five catches for 52.5 yards and one touchdown per game.) “I am OK, honestly. I am really not
frustrated. It is early in the season, we are only in Week Three and I am
going to get my opportunities. I know that and I just have to make sure
mentally and physically that I am prepared when those opportunities
come, and play the way I am able to play.”
Though Sando and others think that the issue has been overblown, two realities linger for us.
First, Marcus surely has been influenced by communications with his big brother, and during that Twitter rant there’s a good chance some of the opinions Marcus developed via those discussions bubbled to the surface. Second, and more importantly, the Twitter entries from Marcus Fitzgerald included clear indications that Larry had sent a halftime text message expressing frustration, and that Larry had indicated he was “pissed” during a postgame phone call to Marcus.
It’s unclear whether Larry was specifically confronted with these facts when he spoke to the media on Wednesday. And while we don’t expect reporters to constantly treat media access like open-courtroom cross-examination, we also advise against accepting self-serving explanations at face value — especially where there are indications to the contrary that have not yet been fully explored.
get off it Florio. Geez, all you did was rewrite the old blurb and add a quote by Fitzgerald. All those tweets sound like the rants of a frustrated fantasy football owner. He’s Billy Carter and Roger Clinton rolled into one.
As a person that has an idiot for a brother, I don’t really see how you can assume that he got these ideas from Larry.
Claims? Sad day when you can’t take the word of the two people involved.
Dear Larry,
Good job putting your brother in his place.
This is totally a non-issue. Marcus just wanted to see his brother get in on the action, possibly because he’s living his NFL life vicariously through Larry or because his fantasy team needed some help.
And in NFL terms, Kurt Warner is definitely and old-ass man.
You have missed the best part of this whole saga, that Marcus is now going to appear at Kurt Warner’s camp. At least Marcus will admit when he’s wrong. Ahem.
Shame on you for reporting otherwise… and shame on everyone for believing it… Unlike many have accussed him on not being recently on this board Fitz has been a consumate professional his entire career… Even if he wanted the ball more so what… He’s the best play maker on that team… Getting him the ball downfield is what gives that team the best chance to win… This may not be an issue in a semi blow out win… But had they gotten him the ball more against the 9ers they just might be 2-0…
I gotta agree with the consensus here Florio. There is nothing here to indicate that Marcus [s]Vick[/s] er Fitzgerald “…surely has been influenced by communications with his big brother…”
I know lots of people who try to justify arguments, particularly those on the internet, by making absurd claims. In my experience every guy on the internet is 6’3″, 220lbs runs a 4.4, has a supermodel wife ([i][b]with[/b][/i] super powers), and has more money than the King of Siam.
In the absence of phone records to the contrary (access to which would require you to do some, y’know, actual journalism) I think it was just as likely that it was Marcus blowing steam and nothing more.
I love it. Several others called out florio already for another bs article. Good.
what’s there to be mad about with a 5/52.5/TD per game average?? that would equate to 80/840/16TD’s at years end. Those aren’t the best numbers Fitz have put up but that’s still impressive! And you know Fitz will get more touches and yardage then that average.
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Really great story, Florio. What’s next? “Larry Fitzgerald Fathers Two-Headed Bat Boy Baby!! ”
Sheesh. Your ‘reporting’ started out bad, and it’s getting considerably worse.
Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Kerry Collins, are all old ass men. But they are some of best QBs playing right now. I am sure when Fitz is 40 years old he will still be able to play. And Marcus will be great at emptying trash cans.
I (like everyone else) am baffled that you are still banging this drum. If there really is an issue, at least these two guys are classy enough to deal with it in-house, and you know what? I believe both of them. There was no need whatsoever for Fitzgerald to be so explicit and to in fact call out his own brother, rather than Warner.
Say what you like about him, but Fitzgerald is no primadonna Wideout like T.O. He’s a great player with a great attitude, and if you don’t want to take it that way, it’s a pretty sad indictment on the state of your own mindset regarding the NFL.