Cardinals QB Kyler Murray breaks silence: 'All of this nonsense is not what I'm about'
Kyler Murray raised more than a few eyebrows last week when he scrubbed all mention of the Arizona Cardinals, the team he quarterbacks, from his social media accounts.
On Monday, five days after he removed the Cards from his social media, he posted a statement.
— Kyler Murray (@K1) February 14, 2022
“I play this game for the love of it, my teammates, everyone who has helped me get to this position that believed in me & to win championships," the statement says. "All of this nonsense is not what I’m about, never has been, never will be. Anyone who has ever stepped between those lines with me knows how hard I go.
“Love me or hate me but I’m going to continue to grow and get better.”
Reports of discord emerge
Like a stone thrown into a pond, Murray's scrubbing of the Cardinals from his social media created ripples. Most consequentially, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that the relationship between Murray and the franchise is strained and both parties are "at odds" with each other following the Cardinals' disappointing 34-11 wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
According to Mortensen, Murray was "embarrassed" by the loss to the Rams and believes he's been made the "scapegoat." The Cardinals also reportedly have issues with Murray.
The Cardinals have their own concerns about Murray, with sources describing the 2019 No. 1 overall pick as self-centered, immature and someone who points fingers.
Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury is said to be self-scouting where he can provide better alternatives to help Murray, according to sources. Meanwhile, select veterans on the team hope to reach out to Murray on how the 24-year-old can better handle adversity, sources said.
Yikes. While the Cardinals reportedly believe Murray will be their "quarterback of the present and future," these reports are definitely concerning, especially since they're about the team's franchise quarterback. The Cards subsequently released a statement about Murray.
“Nothing has changed regarding our opinion and high regard for Kyler Murray,” the statement said via Pro Football Talk. “We as a team and Kyler individually have improved each year he’s been in the league. We are excited to continue that improvement in 2022 and are excited that Kyler Murray is the quarterback leading us.”
Of course, if you trace "all this nonsense" back to its source, you'll find Murray. He's who started all this by scrubbing any mention of the team from his social media. That action fueled a lot of speculation, and spurred Mortensen's report of discord between the two parties.
