A day after an embarrassing 41-0 loss to the Seahawks, two Jaguars players who provided unwanted distractions apologized for their actions.
Receiver Mike Sims-Walker was deactivated after violating the team itinerary, whatever that means.
“I made a mistake in judgment,” Sims-Walker said, according to Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union. Sims-Walker declined to identify the specific reason for the surprise scratch. “I apologize to everybody for the team, the owners, Jack [Del Rio], Gene [Smith], the fans. I’m sorry. It’ll never happen again. It was a bad mistake on my part.”
Sims-Walker addressed the team at a Monday meeting.
“They felt my pain,” he said. “They saw before the game how sick I was. I couldn’t look anybody in the eyes. I knew it was my fault. I put them in a bad situation. I’ve never been a character-issue guy or been in the media for the wrong reasons.”
The incident reportedly occurred on Friday night. There were no team meetings that evening; Sims-Walker’s only obligation was to comply with curfew.
“It’s nobody’s business but ours,” Sims-Walker said. “We all know what happened. All that matters is that we’re done with it. We’re moving on.”
One of Sims-Walker’s teammates has privately disclosed the reason for the deactivation, and it sure sounds to us as if the team possibly overreacted. Sims-Walker’s agent, Adisa Bakari, did not respond to a Monday e-mail or a Monday phone call seeking confirmation or denial of the information suppled by the teammate.
Defensive end Quentin Groves also apologized for missing the team flight due to an automobile accident. Groves has been accused by one of the other drivers of trying to flee the scene, and of receiving special treatment from the police who arrived on the scene.
“I personally want to say I’m sorry to the Jacksonville community, especially Jaguar fans, coach Del Rio, Mr. Weaver, our whole family up here in the organization,” Groves said. “I especially want to extend my condolences to the family that was involved in the accident. I’m sorry about what happened and it won’t happen again.”
Jack Del Rio, who likewise did not elaborate on the reason for the discipline of Sims-Walker, said that the two incidents are not a sign that the Jaguars are in the early stages of a new rash of bad conduct.
“I think you’re talking about a traffic citation and a guy that used poor judgment. To have to be lumped in with past dealings would be unfair and inaccurate,” Del Rio said.
It’s impossible to completely accept that representation from Del Rio, given that no one is saying what Sims-Walker did. But if what at least one of his teammates has privately said is accurate, then we agree with Del Rio -- it’s no big deal.
Apart from the fact that it was a big enough deal for the Jaguars to sit their best receiver down for a full game.