Kyler Murray Says It’s ‘disrespectful’ to Question His Work Ethic, Commitment Amid Contract Clause
The “Independent Study clause” placed into the five-year, $230.5 million contract extension Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals agreed upon last week, which raised questions about his work ethic and commitment level, seemed to be incredibly unique.
The aforementioned contract clause says that Murray shall “complete four hours of Independent Study each week (excluding any bye week) during each playing season during the term of the contract.” That included the first Monday after the conclusion of training camp to the last game of the team’s schedule — postseason included.
The Independent Study refers “the material provided to him by the [Cardinals] for the club’s next upcoming game” and no “credit for any Independent Study for any period during which the player does not personally study the provided material in good faith.”
For more of those details, check it out here:
Usually, this stuff doesn’t get made public. But in this case, it did. Murray spoke to the media Thursday and did not take kindly to his work ethic and commitment being put into question by others, calling it “disrespectful” and “almost a joke.”
Here’s what he said:
“To think that I can accomplish everything that I have accomplished in my career and not be a student of the game and not have that passion and not take this serious is disrespectful, and it’s almost a joke,” Murray told reporters Thursday. “To me, I’m flattered. I want to say flattered that you all think that at my size, I can go out there and not prepare for the game, and not take it serious. It’s disrespectful, I feel like, to my peers, to all the great athletes and great players that are in this league. This game is too hard. To play the position that I play in this league, it’s too hard.
I’ve put in an incomprehensible amount of time, blood, sweat, tears and work into what I do … People can’t comprehend the amount of time that it takes to do two sports (baseball and football) at a high level in college. Let alone be the first person to do it ever at my size, like I said, it’s funny, but to those of you out there that believe I would be standing here today in front of y’all without having a work ethic and without preparing, I’m honored that you think that. But it doesn’t exist. It’s not possible, so that’s all I have on that.”
Check out full quotes here:
NFL.com insider Ian Rapoport noted on NFL Network was that he’s not aware of this so-called homework clause ever being in any other player’s contract. That could be the case since teams don’t usually want this information leaked to the media — especially when it’s for a player who plans to earn $230.5 million over five years with $160 million guaranteed. It’s a bad look for everyone involved, since it got leaked.
But NFL.com insider Mike Garafolo, in the same video, also pointed out the reaction he’s been hearing from others around the league regarding the clause:
“The reaction that we’re getting — from the three of us (Rapoport, Garafolo Tom Pelissaro), sometimes in the same thread — from agents around the league and some teams is that they’ve never seen it,” he said. “So if we’ve never seen it, they’ve never seen it, teams have never seen it, then it’s likely nobody’s ever seen it because it doesn’t exist. It’s very unique.”
The former No. 1 overall pick in 2019 made Pro Bowls in each of the last two seasons and earned the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019. He’s completed 66.0 percent of his attempts for 11,480 yards, 70 touchdowns and 34 interceptions, adding 1,786 career rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground as well.
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