"His entitlement has ruined the team" - NFL insider slams Russell Wilson over his role in nightmare season for Broncos
Russell Wilson has come under intense scrutiny over the past few weeks over his failure to turn things around for the Denver Broncos. While players often need time to settle into their role with a new team, expectations were sky-high regarding Wilson following the massive trade package dished out by his new team.
With the Broncos firing Nathaniel Hackett just 16 games into his tenure as head coach of the franchise, many are blaming Wilson for the sacking. While appearing on the Pat McAfee Show, NFL insider Mike Lombardi went off at the former Super Bowl winner, blaming him for his role in the franchise's woeful season thus far:
"If I were the GM of the Denver Broncos, I'd have a meeting with Russell and his agent and talk about how his entitlement has ruined the team. Why do you have to have so many parking spots at the stadium? Why do you have your own office? How is everything catered around you? When you do that, you basically disassociate yourself from the team."
How do you fix the Broncos locker room?
"If I were the GM I'd have a meeting with Russell Wilson & talk about how his entitlement has ruined the team.. somebody has to have a man to man conversation with him" ~@mlombardiNFL
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Lombardi, a former NFL player himself, doubled down on his criticism while also blaming the Broncos front office for putting Wilson on a pedestal:
"Like it's one for all, and all for one. We're not going to have double standards. We're going to hold you accountable, just like we're going to hold other players accountable. Somebody's got to have a man-to-man conversation with him because he didn't play well. And the longer you give in to a player that doesn't play well, you hurt your team, you create a culture that you can't sustain."
Hackett's firing was only the fifth instance since the league's merger in 1970 that a new head coach was fired without completing a full season in charge.
Russell Wilson shoulders blame for Nathaniel Hackett firing - "Wish I could have played better"
Since Hackett's firing, the Broncos front office has promised a change in culture. An apology was issued by the franchise for their abysmal showing, and Wilson too told reporters that he shoulders some of the blame for the same:
"The reality is I wish I could have played better for him (Hackett). I wish I could have played at the standard, the level that I've always played at, know how to play at."
With only pride left to play for, the Broncos will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17 to cap off what has been a disastrous calendar year.
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Over the course of the offseason, the team will have plenty of problems to hash out. Making sure their QB doesn't end up getting sacked 50 times a season would be a start.