Considering how rare it is for a coach or general manager to speak negatively about the referees or the league on a hot mic, Buffalo Bills General Manager Doug Whaley’s comments on the unnaturalness of the game of football may stand out as the boldest in recent memory, even if it’s not exactly what he intended.
In a Tuesday interview with WGR 550, Whaley told the hosts of “The Howard Simon Show” that he does not believe humans are meant to participate in the violent sport, a line that has since caught fire in the sports media world. The comment came up in a conversation Whaley and Simon were having regarding the health of the Buffalo roster, a topic being raised for the third time in five days.
“This is the game of football,” he told WGR 550 radio. “Injuries are part of it. It’s a violent game that I personally don’t think humans are supposed to play. These things are going to come up. We trust in our medical staff and in each individual athlete to do what they have to do to get back on the field.”
The past week has been a rough one for the Bills’ roster, as the team announced both standout receiver Sammy Watkins Jr. and linebacker Shaq Lawson will miss workouts and time due to injury. Watkins is recovering from a broken foot and is expected to miss the preseason but be ready by the regular season kickoff. Lawson is dealing with a shoulder injury that will require surgery; he is expected to return in roughly five months, according to Sports Illustrated’s interview with Whaley last week. He was more hesitant to put a timetable on the recovery process for both players in his interview with WGR.
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Whaley’s comments regarding the game of football come at the six-minute mark of the WGR interview and were brought on by a line of questioning about whether Sammy Watkins is injury prone due to fact that this offseason will be the second straight the 22-year-old wideout has missed. Whaley countered the bones-made-of-glass argument, saying Watkins has only missed three games during his time in the league.
His statement will likely give even more fodder to the current conversation being held regarding football’s safety. While the comments were made in relation to Watkins’s foot injury, the timing fits well (or poorly, if you’re the NFL) with the league’s very public concussion-CTE problem. The issue was brought to the forefront once again this week, when ESPN investigative reporters Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada published their findings from a congressional report stating the NFL attempted to improperly influence funds meant for a study on the relationship between concussions, football and CTE.
According to the Buffalo News, Bills Coach Rex Ryan was informed of Whaley’s comments and offered only praise of the game in response, going on to mention the important role the sport has played in his family. Ryan’s son currently plays for Clemson, his father, Buddy, was a stalwart in the league as a defensive coordinator, and his brother, Rob, is an assistant head coach for Buffalo.
“I can say this, I love the game,” Ryan said. “I think it’s the greatest sport. I know it’s the greatest sport. It’s the greatest game. We all know how I feel about it. When your son is out there playing in college, OK, when your son is out there practicing…”
The Bills will continue their OTAs for the next two-and-a-half weeks before mandatory team minicamp gets underway June 14.
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