Arizona Republic reporter Kent Somers has offered his explanation for his exchange with Cardinals quarterback Derek Anderson after Monday night’s game, with Somers saying he wasn’t trying to bait Anderson into unleashing a tirade, and was just wondering what made Anderson laugh on the bench while the Cardinals were getting blown out in the fourth quarter.
“I tried to be diplomatic and professional, but I guess that’s for others to judge,” Somers wrote on his blog on the Arizona Republic site today. “Anderson obviously didn’t think so. Some wanted Anderson roasted over spit. Others think I badgered him. I hope I was somewhere between those two extremes, but as I said, that’s for others to judge.”
Count me as one person who judges Somers’ questions as completely appropriate. It was odd to see Anderson and Cardinals guard Deuce Lutui laughing while the Cardinals were down by 18 points in the fourth quarter, and the sight of two players laughing while their team was getting embarrassed drew the attention of ESPN commentator Jon Gruden as well as plenty of fans who were ripping Anderson online. It was the job of the reporters at the post-game press conference to ask Anderson about it, and when Anderson tried to claim he wasn’t laughing, it was the job of those reporters to push back.
As Somers explained in the item this morning, he was simply doing his job.
“I take no satisfaction in what happened, but I felt the questions were justified,” Somers wrote. “The Cardinals were losing their sixth consecutive game. Their starting quarterback and right guard were smiling on the sidelines. Readers wanted to know why, especially since many of them think this team is not playing as hard as it should.”
Somers was right to question what was so funny, and Anderson was wrong to go off on Somers. If Anderson doesn’t like those questions, he ought to stop laughing on the sideline while the Cardinals are losing.
UPDATE: Here’s the video of Anderson, in case you missed it:
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