Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jerome Simpson believed he was ready to play in last week's game against the Washington Redskins despite a lower back injury. His coach, Leslie Frazier, disagreed.
"That makes you mad," Simpson said Wednesday, via The Star Tribune. "It's nothing personal against (Frazier). He's just doing what's best for the team."
It wasn't just the inability to help his team that upset Simpson. His contract is structured in such a way that Simpson lost a lot of money because of the transaction. He receives per-game bonuses that only count if he's on the Vikings' active roster.
"You lose $60,000, you'd be mad, too," said Simpson, who missed the first three games this season while on suspension for a drug arrest. "I'm just a competitor, man. I just want to be out there on the field. Any time something is getting taken away from you, obviously you're going to be upset about it. Just like if you couldn't write any more. I'm pretty sure you'd be upset."
We'd be upset (although it's unfortunate we don't receive per-post bonuses).
Frazier told reporters he didn't see Simpson enough in practice last week and decided to keep him out of Sunday's game so the receiver could have "a little bit more time" to heal. That said, Simpson doesn't know if he'll play this week. He believes he's ready to go, but that's what he said last week, too.
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