The Oakland Raiders parted ways with punter Marquette King amid talk that some of his on-field behavior was a necessary distraction. For King, that doesn’t really hold water — but if people want him to change, he will.
In his first public comments since his release and subsequent decision to join the Denver Broncos, King said he was disappointed that the Raiders didn’t even tell him if that was the issue — and admitted he’s looking forward to facing them twice a year.
“You can’t judge me by what you see on TV or social media, and sadly, a lot of people do that,” King said, via Jim Trotter of NFL.com. “If those things were an issue, just sit down and tell me. I can be a zombie if you want me to. But everybody knows what they sign up for when they get into professional sports. You know there are going to be ups and downs, and you’ve got to be able to handle them regardless of the situation, with professionalism and a positive attitude.
“That’s why I thanked (Raiders GM) Reggie McKenzie for the opportunity he gave me. I know I played well, so I wasn’t stressing about what was to come. It would have been different if I had a bad year, but I had a good year and I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t break the law or do any domestic violence or hurt people or disrespect people. I’m looking forward to helping Denver, but I do have a huge chip on my shoulder. It’s going to be fun to play the Raiders twice a year.”
New Raiders coach Jon Gruden apparently wasn’t a big fan of King’s hijinks. Instead of talking to him about it, the team opted to release him, which seemingly hasn’t sat well with the punter.
