As plenty of Saints players brace for possible penalties from Commissioner Roger Goodell, one member of the defensive line isn’t scared.
Defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, a first-round pick in 2008, downplayed the situation in an interview with Seahawks Pro Bowl fullback Michael Robinson, founder of the RealRobReport.
“You can’t believe everything you hear on TV, man,” Ellis said. “You can’t believe everything that [comes] out in the media. I’m sure it’ll work itself out, and the truth will come out in the end.”
Robinson then playfully chided Ellis regarding the 2010 postseason, when the Saints lost to the Seahawks. “I wish y’all would’ve put a bounty on me,” Robinson said. “I hope y’all didn’t have no bounties in 2010 when y’all came up to [Seattle] and got dogged in that playoff game. Y’all have bounties in that game? Did y’all have a bounty on Marshawn? Did y’all have a bounty on Marshawn?”
Regarding the explanation from Ellis, the problem continues to be that the things that have emerged in the media come from the NFL’s investigation and conclusions. While it’s possible that the NFL investigation was in some way flawed, the media has been relying on the league’s publicized belief that these things happened, as determined in large part by the admissions made by members of the coaching staff who, after months of denials, confessed.
Robinson also gave Ellis, who played college football at USC, a tongue-in-cheek hard time about getting paid in college. Chiefs receiver Steve Breaston even jumped in at one point and said of the Trojans in 2005, “They cheated. It’s on record now. USC cheated.”
It’s actually pretty funny. I don’t last at much in the 5:00 a.m. ET hour, but I laughed a couple of times at the back-and-forth between Robinson and Ellis.