Ryan Tannehill addresses reaction to his Malik Willis comments
Jan 23, 2020; Kissimmee, Florida, USA; Tennessee Titans qaurterback Ryan Tannehill (17) reacts during AFC practice at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Tannehill faced some criticism a few weeks ago over some comments he made about the Tennessee Titans drafting Malik Willis. As you might expect, the veteran quarterback says the remarks were completely blown out of proportion.
Tannehill drew attention after he said it is not going to be his job to mentor Willis. What he meant was that he will be competing for a starting job with the rookie. Some people thought Tannehill’s way of saying he is going to refuse to help Willis, which he says is not the case. Tannehill was asked about the situation on Tuesday.
.@Titans QB @ryantannehill1 with a long, heartfelt comment about wanting to be a great teammate to @malikwillis.
Said he meant no disrespect to Malik and is disappointed with how things got twisted over his quote on mentoring.
🎥 pic.twitter.com/4nhdlxSXhU
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) May 24, 2022
“I meant no disrespect to Malik or anything close to that,” Tannehill said. “We’ve been in constant communication since he was drafted. … I’m really just kind of disappointed in how things got spun and twisted a little bit. I pride myself on being a great teammate. I have my whole career.”
Tannehill went on to say that he reached out to Willis immediately after all the negative headlines surfaced.
“As soon as it blew up I reached out to him and said, ‘Hey, I’m gonna be a great teammate to you. I’m gonna support you. They’re making this out to (be something it’s not),'” Tannehill said. “He was great with it the whole time. … Things were great between us from the beginning and continue to be great.”
Reasonable people knew Tannehill was not trying to say he is going to be a jerk to Willis. Rather, the 33-year-old knows he needs to focus on doing everything he can to improve so the former Liberty star does not take his job.
There is a middle ground between being a bad teammate and a full-time mentor. Willis indicated that he understands that when he was asked about the so-called controversy.