What is once tweeted may never truly die.
So after Washington running back Derrius Guice deleted the message which accused Packers safety Darnell Savage of a “cheap shot,” Savage still said he was surprised to hear about the accusation.
Guice is out for the season again, after leaving last week’s game with a knee injury, after Savage took him down at the end of a 23-yard run. Guice initially tweeted: “I think it was a cheap shot. He knows the history of my knee injuries and he went straight at them.”
“I’m sure you guys can [see], I’m not a dirty player,” Savage said, via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “In my career, I’ve never done anything to hurt anybody. It’s unfortunate it happened. I actually told a couple of my teammates, ‘I hope he’s good,’ after it happened.
“But if he feels that way, it is what it is.”
Savage denied that he’d target an injury, but admitted that league rules about hitting opponents in the head made the make quick decisions.
“It’s tough, it’s definitely tough,” Savage said. “We’re put in a bind with that. You have to make do. It’s unfortunate it happened. He’s a great back and I know he’s battled some injuries, but when you’re out there on the field I’m not targeting a guy because of injuries he’s had or anything like that.”
Again, Guice has since taken down the message, so perhaps some internet forgiveness has been achieved. It’s a small step for grace and civility, but perhaps a meaningful one.