If Kyler Murray believes it’s disrespectful to think he isn’t a student of the game, the source of the disrespect traces to the logo on his helmet.
The Cardinals created this issue by putting a homework clause in his contract. It wasn’t the product of the spinning of a wheel of obscurely random terms. They wanted it. Ultimately, owner Michael Bidwill signed off on it.
So why did he want it? There are three possible explanations. He wanted it: (1) because he believes Murray doesn’t spend enough time studying on his own; (2) because he fears Murray won’t spend enough time studying on his own once he gets paid a giant pile of money; or (3) he felt compelled to make a gratuitous power play while being squeezed by Murray to make a nine-figure guarantee.
Regardless, the Cardinals knew or should have known that the homework clause would become public, and that Murray would be criticized for not working hard enough. Everything said since the story was broken on Monday flows from the existence of the homework clause. No one was suggesting that Murray wasn’t putting in enough work before the homework clause came to light. No one. It was only after the team made it an issue by making it part of his contract that the media and fans knew to make it a focal point for conversation and criticism.
Murray at one point on Thursday declined to say whether he’s mad at the team. It doesn’t require four hours of study to conclude that this means he’s mad at the team.
He should be. As noted earlier today, the question is whether the team has poisoned the relationship to the point that Murray eventually requests a divorce. It would be hard to blame him if he did, based on the things he said today.