Redskins running back: ‘I’m cool with everything’
As Redskins coach Jim Zorn walked away from the media, after spending nearly 20 minutes addressing one topic — Clinton Portis — he said in jest:
“I’m just glad he thought I was a genius.”
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Zorn made light of the situation, or at least played it down. And, for his part, Portis concluded his four-and-a-half-minute press conference by smiling overenthusiastically for the cameras.
“I’m cool with everything,” he said.
Portis and Zorn met for 10 minutes following a regularly scheduled team meeting Wednesday, clearing the air over comments the running back made during his regular Tuesday radio appearance on ESPN 980. On air, Portis said that maybe the team should just “sever ties” with him. He changed his stance a day later.
“We’re not gonna sever ties,” Portis said. “I’m a Washington Redskin. I love [Owner Dan] Snyder and he loves me. That’s my man. Coach has an appreciation for me. [Tuesday] was the aggravation of losing four games. Everybody wants to win. We’ve both got egos.
“Me and coach Zorn have a pretty good relationship. We’re gonna continue to have one. He ain’t going nowhere; I don’t think I’m going nowhere. I’m gonna speak my mind so it’s gonna cause trouble every now and then.”
Portis’ comments came when asked why he didn’t play after the first series of the third quarter in Sunday’s 24-10 loss to Baltimore. Zorn said it stemmed from Portis’ lack of practice time, which he said resulted in him getting out slow on some pass routes.
Wednesday, Zorn said he didn’t have a problem with Portis’ comments; he read a transcript of them — Portis sarcastically referred to Zorn as a “genius.” But he wanted him to voice them to him first.
“When you have a problem and you need to go public, first you take it to the head coach,” Zorn said, “or first take it to the position coach or first take it to the offensive coordinator. We’re all willing to talk to anybody on our team. There’s a protocol. I shouldn’t have to try to seek that out — ‘Are you OK?’ He had some legitimate concerns. … [But] I’m pretty approachable.”
Zorn said he did not apologize during a team meeting as some players said he did. Zorn said he did not feel he had anything to apologize for. He also said he wasn’t surprised by what Portis said.
“It’s happened before,” he said. “And I would say this, when the questions are asked and if you do have that pent-up emotion, you have to hold your water there a little bit. That’s all it takes.”
But Portis might disagree.
“When you get something off your chest, you feel less stressed,” he said. “I feel good. I’m smiling.”
