There are a select few, a small sect of NFL players that deserve to write their own ending. After years of selfless service to a franchise, with their family surrounding them, coach and general manager on one side, owner on another, a player’s heartfelt goodbye should echo the way he made his team and his fans feel in a picture-perfect ending to what was a beautiful football journey.
That’s what Cooper Kupp deserved. That is what Cooper Kupp will not get from the Los Angeles Rams. Kupp got candid in a recent conversation with the Los Angeles Times, giving his opinion on what has been a nasty divorce for the Super Bowl MVP.
“I walked into Sean’s office and he said, ‘We’re going to trade you,’” Kupp told the Los Angeles Times. “I asked if there were any other thoughts on ways to move forward, were there any other options to figure things out, and he said no, this is the way they wanted to go.
“In that moment, I made the decision that I didn’t want this to be a bitter thing in terms of our ending there.”
This seems to be a theme in the McVay era. Matthew Stafford almost had a nasty divorce from the team this summer to the point he was meeting Tom Brady in Montana, John Sullivan expressed shock when the Rams moved off him, Todd Gurley seems to want nothing to do with the team and while the Rams have done right by them financially, there is still the human element to this buisness.
“And as time has gone on I’ve had to deal with all the frustration, anger, sadness, all these things that as a human you process,” continued Kupp. “Having to say goodbye to people and know that that door is closed. That’s been tough to walk through as the weeks have gone by.”
While both McVay and Snead have publicly kept the door open, they have yet to speak to Kupp regarding his return or amending his deal to facilitate such a move. They’re done and feel ready to move on. While there is a reason they get paid the big bucks to make these decisions, the style in which they go about it asks questions about the civility associated with the approach.
While blunt truths are necessary, a franchise legend who delivered a Super Bowl ring should not leave with a bitter taste in his mouth.