Thomas Davis is already on record saying it was "unfair" to speculate that his contract had anything to do with the Carolina Panthersfiring general manager Dave Gettleman. Greg Olsen doubled down on that sentiment.
The Panthers tight end, who wants a contract extension with two years left on his deal, said at the Hoop Tee Celebrity Golf Classic in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday that his relationship with Gettleman was never contentious and shouldn't be viewed as a tipping point for the GM's termination.
It's fair for Olsen and Davis to say they harbor no ill will toward Gettleman. It's also fair for us to point out that the potential contracts played at least a sliver of a role. Even if the players say they understood the dynamic of contract talks after the firing, Panthers owner Jerry Richardson could have viewed the negotiations as symptoms of a larger issue.
"I think anyone who follows the Panthers, and knows our history, knows the guy in charge, that's Mr. Richardson, and he makes all the decisions," Olsen said, via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Charlotte Observer. "And he made a decision, with probably some parts that we aren't privy to. He made a decision that he felt was in the best interest of the team, both in the short- and long-term. And those are the decisions that as players and employees of the organization we live with. Sometimes that's just the way it goes."
Olsen added he believes interim GM Marty Hurney will have a smooth transition and "hit the ground running" when training camp opens next week.
