Bucs GM's comparison to Darrell Russell draws fire of State Rep. Bob Henriquez, D-Tampa.
By RICK STROUD
Published April 1, 2004
PALM BEACH - Looking fit, tan and relaxed, Jon Gruden sipped from a cup of coffee Wednesday morning during a media breakfast with NFC coaches at the league's annual meeting.
Meanwhile, criticism and controversy continue to brew for Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen, just 14 months removed from the Bucs' Super Bowl championship.
The latest to join the fray was State Rep. Bob Henriquez, D-Tampa, responding to comments Allen made regarding troubled defensive tackle Darrell Russell, signed to a one-year contract Tuesday.
Allen compared the problems faced by Russell, a two-time violator of the NFL's drug policy who faced charges as an accessory to rape, to those of former President Bill Clinton.
"Bill Clinton did a lot worse things than Darrell Russell," Allen said Tuesday. "But he won Florida twice and was our president. I know he did. He did worse things."
Henriquez called the comments "irresponsible."
"It was almost comical at first," Henriquez said Wednesday. "Then I thought it was absolutely ridiculous. I don't know where he's coming from. To see him use that to take a political potshot is irresponsible and it concerns me.
"I don't know Bruce, I know he's new here and I wish him well. But I don't know how you go from talking about Darrell Russell to what is not a far cry from a veiled political hit. My experience is that when you say something negative when you don't have anything positive to say, I think he would've been better served focusing on the positive aspects of Darrell Russell's life."
The response by Henriquez compounds what already has been a bitter offseason for Gruden, Allen and the Bucs, who took hits for their decision to release safety John Lynch and not offer a contract to defensive tackle Warren Sapp.
Though recently stung by scrutiny, Gruden said it's the norm in the NFL.
"Being a Super Bowl champion or just trying to get to the Super Bowl, everybody has these distractions. I look around the room, (Rams) coach (Mike) Martz has his. You either can overcome them or you can't. You understand it's part of the game and try to limit those distractions the best way you can. At the end of the day, you have to do what you think is right. You have to stand for something, you see. And you've got to be sometimes very thick-skinned. Hopefully, we got through some very fastball distractions."
Gruden also defended his public flirtations with a multitude of free-agent quarterbacks, including Mark Brunell and Jeff Garcia.
"A lot of people maybe think that you bring in three lousy quarterbacks or don't even bring in a backup quarterback for fear of maybe upsetting someone," Gruden said. "We're trying to get the best players in the world at that position because it's the hardest job I think out there."
Since the start of the free-agent signing period, the Bucs have acquired 21 players, most of them over the age of 30. And Gruden is sensitive to the perception that he favors "older" players.
"Change is just part of the game and certainly you'd like to draft three or four great classes in a row where you get a strong nucleus of players," Gruden said. "But you get frustrated everywhere you go. "You don't like young players, you like older players."'
Gruden was asked if it was important for players to like him.
"I don't want everybody to dislike me and walk around cussing me out behind my back," he said. "I'd like for them to say, "Hey, good morning. Good to see you.' I don't mind that. I'd like to have genuine respect and real karma and enthusiasm going to work there at the beautiful woodshed we work at. It's hard enough to walk in there sometimes, let alone when everybody is ticked off."
