Minnesota Vikings left tackle Bryant McKinnie said it was no big deal that he got kicked off the NFC Pro Bowl roster for skipping back-to-back practices.
But apparently it was a big deal to the Vikings.
Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Vikings VP of Player Personnel Rick Spielman criticized McKinnie’s attitude toward the Pro Bowl during a question-and-answer session with Vikings fans on Saturday.
“To get an honor to go play in the Pro Bowl is something that’s unique, and something that should be cherished,” Spielman said. “It’s a privilege and honor to go there and play in a game like that, and I know from an organizational standpoint that we were disappointed, as well as a lot of our fans were, on how things turned out.”
It’s noteworthy that Spielman uses the word “we” and says he’s speaking “from an organizational standpoint,” suggesting that he’s not the only member of the Vikings organization who’s disappointed in McKinnie.
The bottom line is that players drop out of the Pro Bowl all the time, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. McKinnie did it the wrong way, and it’s not surprising that other members of the Vikings organization are disappointed in him.