DETROIT , MI - NOVEMBER 26: Jermichael Finley #88 of the Green Bay Packers is pulled down with a horse collar tackle by Marvin White #25 of the Detroit Lions on November 26, 2009 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jermichael Finley;Marvin White
Gregory Shamus
Former Green Bay Packer Mark Chmura knows tight end talent when he sees it. He says Jermichael Finley is worthy of a contract extension -- despite his intelligence.
“He is a great player, but he is a moron.” Chmura said Sunday during his gig as a host on ESPN Radio 540. A silly post-game quote sparked the derision, but this isn’t the first time Chmura has questioned Finley’s intelligence.
“Is Jermichael Finley stupid, arrogant and/or both?” Chmura asked beat writer Jason Wilde back in May.
Wilde eventually offered up that he doesn’t think Finley is “a terribly bright person . . . what’s the saying? All the tools and no toolbox?”
Chmura said at the time he “smelled a pending disaster” brewing when it comes to Finley and continued to ask if he was a moron.
“First thing I’d do, I’d say Shut your mouth. Shut up. Shut up! You’re dumb,” Chmura said. “You’re a heck of a player but . . . be quiet!”
This raises a few questions. What is over the line when questioning a player’s intelligence?
Chmura is a radio personality and not a journalist, but does it make sense for a man who was tried for sexual assault after getting in a hot tub with a 17-year-old to question a player’s intelligence?
One could argue that a player’s brain is worthy of analysis like his blocking skills. Still, it’s hard to believe Chmura or Wilde would say these sort of things about A.J. Hawk or Aaron Rodgers or Charles Woodson. Finley makes an easy target. He talks about his goal to be the top-paid tight end and opens up about his past transgressions.
There are no right answers to the questions above, but discussing whether a player is a moron or not is a fine line to walk. Wilde and Chmura stepped over it.