Asante Samuel is one of those players that never seems happy. No matter how much money you throw at him or how many games his team wins, there’s always a problem. With the Patriots, Samuel could not see eye-to-eye with upper management once it became obvious they would not be offering him a long-term deal. All players want financial security, so the fact that he was irritated then is understandable. The reasons Asante has been at odds with the Eagles are more of a mystery.
Over the summer, Samuel seemed jealous that Philadelphia went out and signed two other big-name cornerbacks in Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Recent reports have indicated Samuel and Andy Reid were butting heads over the fact that he was placed on the trading block before the deadline. Apparently things have been smoothed over between coach and player. Between coach and front office? Not so much.
“Me and Andy (are) good. That’s all that matters,” Samuel said Wednesday according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “A couple people upstairs might not want me, but who cares. They probably never played football. It’s a business, they run it like a business, so they’re going to do what they need to do. So they’re upstairs playing with a lot of money, playing a little fantasy football, so they’re doing their thing.”
Everyone wants to feel wanted, but I don’t see how they’re playing fantasy football. In fact, Eagles President Joe Banner and General Manager Howie Roseman are playing the exact opposite of fantasy football. They’re playing real football. Regardless of how Asante feels about being shopped around, this is indeed real life. People like us play fantasy football and pretend we’re Banner and Roseman.
Samuel then added that he’s happy as long as he’s getting his paycheck on Tuesdays. He also said he plays “for the fans” and “for my teammates.” Something about that just sounds funny coming from one of the most selfish players in the league.
