Hall of Fame WR Cris Carter tells NFL rookies to have a “fall guy in the crew”
The hits just keep on coming for the NFL, which only recently took down a 2014 video from its website titled “Rookies learn life lessons from Sapp and Carter” in which Cris Carter, the ESPN analyst and ex-NFL star, stressed the importance of having “a fall guy in the crew.”
“Because y’all not gonna all do the right stuff, so I gotta teach you all how to get around all this stuff, too,” Carter, wearing his Pro Football Hall of Fame blazer, said in a speech at the NFL’s 2014 rookie symposium. “If you gonna have a crew, one of them fools got to know, he’s going to jail.
“We’ll get him out.”
That last line elicited a laugh from Carter’s co-host, Warren Sapp, who repeated the words, “We’ll get him out.” Sapp obviously didn’t heed Carter’s advice as he was arrested at Super Bowl XLIV for soliciting a prostitute and assault.
The video was brought to light recently after former 49ers linebacker Chris Borland described the symposium in an ESPN The Magazine article: “”Get yourself a fall guy,” Borland says one of the former players advised. … Borland was appalled. “I was just sitting there thinking, ‘Should I walk out? What am I supposed to do?’ ” he recalls. He says he didn’t leave the room because he didn’t want to cause a scene, but the incident stayed with him.”
Although Borland didn’t name anybody, the video of the symposium was found on NFL.com, where it has since been taken down. The NFL and ESPN condemned Carter’s remarks on Sunday and the former wideout then apologized on Twitter.
“Seeing that video has made me realize how wrong I was,” he posted. “I was brought there to educate young people and instead I gave them very bad advice. Every person should take responsibility for his own actions. I’m sorry and I truly regret what I said that day.”
Sounds like Carter found a fall guy to write his apology.
Stay tuned for Carter’s next rookie seminar, in which he’ll advise them on the finer points of cleaning up a crime scene, passing a drug test and many more important NFL life lessons.
Check out the video below.
