Not gonna lie; getting tired of writing these transfer- and release-related stories.
Way too many over the past few years and while the coaching staff will always get their share of the blame, the culture of today’s entitled athlete continues rearing it’s ugly head and remains the bigger issue at hand.
(While this piece is being written, a safe bet somewhere in this country a 13-year old from the class of 2020 has a mic in his face and is being offered a scholarship somewhere.)
Forget next man up; next man out is the these at UM and in this case it’s senior cornerback Antonio Crawford.
Like many who’ve gone before him, the Tampa product feels he’s not getting enough love thrown his way—and in line with today’s athlete, felt the best way to address this was through passive-aggressive social media posts and blaming everyone but self.
Sporting a black practice jersey, the @team_crawford2 Instagram account featured the statement, “When’s the last time u did something for the last time?”
Getting the response one would expect after a vague rant of that nature, fans began chiming in, seeking answers. Baited, Crawford responded, “It’s time to take off. When asked where, “Should know within the next two weeks.”
Also playing into the cliché; eventually deleted tweets that were captured because, well, it’s the Internet and nothing is ever gone forever. Crawford dropped the statement, “I’m like a piece of gold that gets treated like a piece of silver, therefor I’m out!!”
Huh?
As the game is played these days, news outlets get a hold of this gibberish and have to bang out articles based on throwaway social media rants—which Matt Porter at the Palm Beach Post did on Wednesday afternoon when the “news” became news.
Porter’s piece quoted a source close to Crawford who called him a “moody kid” and at the time, said source didn’t know if there was any real fire to this smoke.
As of Friday afternoon there is, with the University of Miami officially granting Crawford the transfer request he’s looking for.
Stats-wise, Crawford has played in 38 games since arriving at Miami in 2012. He has 58 tackles, eight pass break-ups and one interception over that span.
Quotes from head coach Al Golden come off as those of a man who appears next-level frustrated with the sideshow taking place.
When pressed, Golden told Porter, “It’s the only sport in the world where 80-percent of the team is not starters. It’s the only sport where everybody is fighting for a starting job and there’s 100-someting players and there’s 22 spots. It’s a difficult process.”
Golden went on to call it an “internal issue” and quipped that “everybody’s frustrated”, when asked if Crawford conveyed any frustration regarding the dynamic.
As expected, a mixed bag regarding fans’ reactions. The anti-Golden contingent seems to side with the disgruntled Crawford, using the senior’s frustration as a reason to knock the coaching staff and defensive system. The other camp seems to question Crawford’s desire to bolt; citing competition and suggesting No. 21 put in the required work and earned more plain time.
Two practices into spring ball—as well as the social media venting—Crawford was certainly coming off diva-esque, any way you slice it.
Fact is, no program is better off with me-first players; let alone a Miami team in rebuild-mode. Looking back at those in-repair Canes squads in the late 90’s—it was a crop of team-first players.
Go rewatch “The U Part 2” or “The U: Reloaded” by Najeh Davenport. Those kids were cut from a different cloth. They bought in completely, took charge, displayed leadership qualities and had an enough-is-enough attitude in regards to losing ways.
That era was fueled by lots of overachievers and kids all about sacrifice who signed on to right the ship. No one was wasting time ranting about being pure gold but treated like silver. There was zero room for that type of self-absorption—and those on boards would’ve kicked the ass of anyone displaying any narcissism at that level.
All that said, there are always two sides to every story and certainly not considering Miami and its coaching staff blameless in all this. The Canes are coming off a 6-7 season, yet are sending a solid crop of talent to the NFL in the coming weeks.
If there’s one narrative that continues coming out of the recent combines, it’s a storyline of wasted talent at “The U” and guys not playing up to their potential or in the proper position.
This coaching staff failed last season based on its record, versus the talent it had at its disposal—and if a player like Crawford has a gripe that has him moving on, not far-fetched to believe the frustration isn’t without merit.
Still, bailing out isn’t the answer and outside of a kid like Storm Johnson finding insta-success at Central Florida, not too many cases where a kid at Miami complaining over lack of playing time goes somewhere else and thrives. Will be interesting to see where Crawford’s journey takes him from here.
Wish the kid well, but still tired of bail-out situations like these. Something’s got to give.