Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano made the decision to bench a guy once considered a franchise quarterback, and now he’s doing the equivalent of sticking his fingers in his ears and saying “blah blah blah blah blah, I can’t hear you.”
In an exchange transcribed by JoeBucsFan.com, Schiano was asked if Freeman going off the reservation to talk to ESPN instead of the local media would result in his being deactivated.
“I understand the question and I appreciate it,” Schiano said. “I feel this [Freeman issue] has become a focus all week. I am not going there. Ninety minutes before the game I will announce the inactive list. I am done discussing that other stuff. Let’s go win a game.”
He was then asked if Freeman was still, as Schiano himself said Wednesday, the backup.
“Again, 90 minutes before [kickoff] I will name inactives.”
Schiano’s refusal to acknowledge the issue isn’t going to make it go away. In fact, it only adds heat to what is already a flammable situation.
Schiano could have killed two days worth of speculation by acknowledging what now appears obvious. He can’t damage Freeman’s trade value now beyond what’s already happened, so trying to wish the uncomfortable part away isn’t helping anyone.