May 23, 2013

Recapping the Phil Savage Interview

October 23, 2008 by 13 Comments

Many fans were all ears for Phil Savage’s interview today on WTAM.  Obviously, the main topic of the segment was Phil’s thoughts on tight end Kellen Winslow.

A few things worth mentioning:

Kellen’s hearing has an updated time, and will not take place until Tuesday at the earliest.  This means that he will definitely miss this week’s game against Jacksonville, and that the appeal (assuming he is still appealing) would be simply to ensure that he is not out $235,000.

In the interview, Phil briefly mentioned that Randy Lerner was involved in the decision to suspend Kellen, for what it’s worth.  He also discussed nearly every member of his staff at one point, claiming that he wouldn’t let any player disparage any of said staff members.

Savage stated that the reason for Kellen’s suspension was due to his “questioning the integrity of the medical staff and organization.”  One word that Phil failed to mention is “publicly,” which is where I assume the issues stand.  Countless people have been questioning the integrity of the Cleveland medical staff.  Heck, we did it months ago, before any of these issues even came to fruition.  Obviously, we are not employed by the team; though I’m not sure that should force once into solitary when it comes to voicing opinions.

A lack of professional restraint?  Sure.  Kellen has always been a very passionate, emotionally-fueled player on and off of the field.  And while Savage stated that he would welcome Kellen back after the suspension, I think it will be very, very difficult for this season to continue on the way it was going prior to this past Sunday.

If one thing could be taken from the segment, Phil seemed very genuine as he is definitely attempting to quiet any of the rumors that make him appear to be condescending to his players.  He not only spoke to Willis and Snyder, but to the fans listening.  The audio can be found in the link below if you happened to miss it.

Phil Savage WTAM Interview 10/23/2008 [WTAM.com]

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  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com RockKing

    I will agree that he sounded genuine and earnest. But I also thought he sounded a little defensive, and that’s the side of Phil I don’t care for. I just want this to be water under the bridge. I (naively) will continue to hope Kellen wins his appeal, gets his money back, and then both sides can move forward and put this whole ordeal in the past. The Browns are better off with K2 than they are without him.

  • S-Dub

    I understand people are mad that he was suspended from a on field stand point. But, any other team in the league would do the same exact thing if their TE called out their GM and medical staff and everything else. But, let’s hope that Phil isn’t losing the players b/c if he is then that doesn’t bode well for us fans b/c that means this whole thing could get blown up yet again. We’re almost worst than the Oakland Raiders when it comes to the whole coaching thing.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com RockKing

    I don’t really feel like getting into a whole big thing on this topic again, but I’m just not so sure every other team would have done the same thing. There’s absolutely no precedent for this type of action for this offense, which is why Chris Mortensen said he thinks K2 has a real chance of winning his appeal. I think by suspending Winslow, Savage has made this a bigger distraction than it ever would have been otherwise. Had Savage just quietly fined Winslow, we’d all be moved on by now and would be talking about the gameplan against the Jags this week.

  • DCBucks

    I agree Rock. A $5k fine, and this would have been over by now. Savage made it the ordeal it’s turned into. And if Lerner is truly behind this, why pick now to get involved?

  • Nick

    I also agree- a fine would probably have been cleaner. I do appreciate Savage going on air and explaining his stance on the issue. None of these things are ever cut and dry but the media sometimes makes them out to be. At least this way we get to hear both sides of the story. I thought Phil made a lot of good points, although he was certainly getting defensive. I guess that’s to be expected of a GM.

  • Victory

    Took him long enough. I’ma wear a winslow jersey to the munie lot and a sign thats says free k2 at the next home game lol.

  • http://www.ohiosurgery.blogspot.com doc

    K-II is a tough guy to really root for. Everything from his “I’m a warrior diatribe” to the motorcycle accident to his recent demands for a contract renegotiation seem to illustrate a troubled young man who is entirely self-absorbed.

    But in this case I have a hard time supporting the way the Browns/Savage have handled the situation. What was the transgression exactly? That he expressed concern about recalcitrant, recurrent MRSA infections related to Browns players? That seems like a viable concern to me. Who is Phil Savage to tell anyone what they can or cannot say about their own medical history? K-II’s comments reflected poorly on the organization directly and the Cleveland Clinic indirectly, but that’s no reason to quash his opinion. Even quasi-fascist entities like the NFL cannot legislate free speech.

    K-II (crying poor me because Phil didn’t call him when he was all scared and alone in the hospital) can be insufferable and this episode will probably be the breaking point that leads to him wearing a different helmet next year, but the Browns are wrong on this. The fine and supension are a bullying, overheated tactic that will come back to haunt them in the future when it comes to luring potential free agents.

  • Josh

    I agree with RockKing on this, I just wish it would go away!

    They are far better off with him than without him. he played thru all kinds of injuries last year – all while watching other guys on the team underperform or sit out with injuries.

    I lived in the Philly area when TO vs. McNabb went down….it was ugly. Unrepairable because it was QB and WR. I think this can be repaired because it’s TE vs GM.

    This should have nothing to do with what goes on between the lines on Sunday. K2 is a dedicated player, and i would think a great teammate – hopefully they will welcome him back next week with open arms.

  • Harv 21

    Agree with both those who think that Winslow is immature and Savage simply handled this like the first-time GM he is.

    Re Winslow, when he hired Rosenhaus with years left on his contract it signaled everyone, not least Savage, that he wasn’t going to finish this contract, and certainly not his career, here. Players hire Rosenhaus to get them out of the middle of contracts they now perceive as unfair. Rosenhaus usually starts by saying, “So-and-so wants to finish his career here.” Do any of us believe Winslow would have been in training camp next year under the terms of this contract? If I were Winslow I would also be upset about yet another staph infection. But why did he mention his contract issues after that loss, sitting next to his teammates? If the Browns had caved in training camp, and let him “jump the line” of other players looking for new contracts, you think he would have been opening his trap last Sunday?

    Re Savage, he is demonstrating exactly how not to handle a high maintenance player. All the behind the scenes aggravations Winslow and his agents have certainly given him must be getting to him. But this ain’t personal, Phil, it’s business. If you create a bigger scene, you make it so you have to move him sooner. Other teams see that, and you are now negotiating a trade from a position of weakness. Breathe, Phil, pretend you like him. To paraphrase Jackie Sherrill, “The most important part of this business is sincerity. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.”

    Btw, this Savage quote just reeks of b.s.: “From a legal standpoint … HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] laws … we can’t even reveal the nature of someone’s illness without their approval. Due to the nature of this particular situation, it seemed that the people involved wouldn’t want it out there. So our hands are tied in certain situations. And it was all agreed upon.” Oh, really? HIPAA protects the patient’s privacy rights, and the patient can waive it. Doesn’t sound to me like Winslow “seemed” to want this private, what with all the enlarged testicle/STD rumors going around. Sounds like YOU wanted it hushed up for PR reasons, and asked him to be a good soldja. He will be both a talented player and a good soldja … when he gets the money he wants.

  • Harv 21

    Sorry my post was so long. Too much coffee, maybe.

  • jose

    i just want them to win….

  • buu

    im with jose. and the list continues as it seems that brady and peyton both had staph infections.

  • sambofromOH

    I dont blame Lerner for supporting this. It is his money paying K2 AND the people sterilizing the facilities in an attempt to prevent staph.