- Thread starter
- #1
News Bot
News Bot
- Messages
- 28,366
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 0
Former NFL running back Corey Dillon has been out of sight for a while. He's back. In a big way.
Dillon recently uncorked an epic rant while talking to Paul Dehner Jr. of TheAthletic.com. The full interview is worth your time. Some of the highlights appear below.
And make no mistake about whether Dillion was actually off the record. As he said to Dehner, “Man, you can quote me word-for-fucking-word. Print it. Because nobody gets this shit. I want it exactly how I told you. No spins. No nothing.”
Dillon has two primary complaints, and a third one that is looming.
First, he thinks he should be in the Bengals' Ring of Honor, a distinction that is voted on by season-ticket holders.
"It’s damn-near criminal, what [voters] are pulling off, to be honest with you," Dillon said. "Did I not play for them? I don’t know, bro. I’m curious about that. Because it looks like they are glossing over me. For what reason? Because I left? That’s not a good enough reason. You are telling me there’s five other guys better than me — at my position? And trust me, this is no knock on whoever is getting in, who goes in, that’s not what it is about. It’s about what is your excuse going to be? I’m pretty sure they will put fucking Jon Kitna in there before they put me. Matter of fact, Scott Mitchell will end up in that motherfucker before I do."
The problem is, as Dillon explains with such eloquence, the team's decision to let the fans decide.
"And that’s garbage," he said. "That’s garbage. This should be solely predicated on the authorities of the Bengals. The owner. The president. Whatever. There should be a special committee. This ain’t a popularity contest. This is football. You are going to put in somebody who is more popular than somebody who got stats?"
Dillon has the stats. He started his career by rushing for more than 1,100 yards in six straight seasons. He rushed for 8,061 yards in seven seasons with the Bengals.
He also has 11,241 for his career. More than, for example, Hall of Famers O.J. Simpson, Earl Campbell, and Larry Csonka. Dillon therefore wants consideration for Canton.
"I want it all," Dillon told Dehner. "I am coming for it all. You know why? Because I earned it. I’m not one of these borderline guys sitting on my ass reminiscing, talking about, 'Oh, if I had this, shoulda, coulda, woulda.' No. I’m justified."
Dillon thinks off-field incidents have affected him. He had two arrests in 2010, four years after his career ended. One was for DUI and one was for spousal abuse. (The DUI was reduced to reckless driving, and the assault charge was dropped due to lack of evidence.) In 2000, he was charged with fourth-degree assault of his wife, entering a diversion program and making a donation to a women's shelter. He believes those things should not impact his candidacy for career honors, if they are.
"That’s why I resurfaced, man," Dillon said. "Because there has been a lot of wrong that needs to be un-wronged. Nobody gets this. I don’t want to get into people’s personal business, but there are a lot of Hall of Famers that did far more worse shit than I did. We can cancel out that excuse. There is no excuse for that. On top of that, I thought the game was predicated on numbers. Are people looking at the numbers like, 'Nah, nah'? I don’t think so."
Dillon thinks Bengals fans are still upset with him because: (1) he was outspoken during his career (he once said he'd rather be "flipping burgers" than to accept the team's restricted free agency tender); and (2) he left Cincinnati and won a championship.
That he did, in 2004. With a career-high 1,635 rushing yards for a dominant Patriots team. It's still the franchise's single-season record. And that has Dillon thinking he should have a spot in the Patriots' Hall of Fame, too.
"Don’t make this a Cincinnati thing, because I’m about to get on the Pats’ ass, too," he told Dehner. "It’s coming. I’m coming for it all. Give it to me while I’m breathing. If anybody wants to disagree, just go look at the fucking numbers and have a Coke and a smile."
Dillon's name rarely comes up in reference to his career accomplishments. When it comes to the great tailbacks of the 21st Century, he's typically forgotten when names like Adrian Peterson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Shaun Alexander, Frank Gore, LeSean McCoy, Steven Jackson, Clinton Portis, Chris Johnson, Matt Forte, Priest Holmes, Jamal Lewis, and Marshawn Lynch are mentioned.
The truth is that Dillon has more rushing yards than all but four of those other running backs.
Continue reading...
Dillon recently uncorked an epic rant while talking to Paul Dehner Jr. of TheAthletic.com. The full interview is worth your time. Some of the highlights appear below.
And make no mistake about whether Dillion was actually off the record. As he said to Dehner, “Man, you can quote me word-for-fucking-word. Print it. Because nobody gets this shit. I want it exactly how I told you. No spins. No nothing.”
Dillon has two primary complaints, and a third one that is looming.
First, he thinks he should be in the Bengals' Ring of Honor, a distinction that is voted on by season-ticket holders.
"It’s damn-near criminal, what [voters] are pulling off, to be honest with you," Dillon said. "Did I not play for them? I don’t know, bro. I’m curious about that. Because it looks like they are glossing over me. For what reason? Because I left? That’s not a good enough reason. You are telling me there’s five other guys better than me — at my position? And trust me, this is no knock on whoever is getting in, who goes in, that’s not what it is about. It’s about what is your excuse going to be? I’m pretty sure they will put fucking Jon Kitna in there before they put me. Matter of fact, Scott Mitchell will end up in that motherfucker before I do."
The problem is, as Dillon explains with such eloquence, the team's decision to let the fans decide.
"And that’s garbage," he said. "That’s garbage. This should be solely predicated on the authorities of the Bengals. The owner. The president. Whatever. There should be a special committee. This ain’t a popularity contest. This is football. You are going to put in somebody who is more popular than somebody who got stats?"
Dillon has the stats. He started his career by rushing for more than 1,100 yards in six straight seasons. He rushed for 8,061 yards in seven seasons with the Bengals.
He also has 11,241 for his career. More than, for example, Hall of Famers O.J. Simpson, Earl Campbell, and Larry Csonka. Dillon therefore wants consideration for Canton.
"I want it all," Dillon told Dehner. "I am coming for it all. You know why? Because I earned it. I’m not one of these borderline guys sitting on my ass reminiscing, talking about, 'Oh, if I had this, shoulda, coulda, woulda.' No. I’m justified."
Dillon thinks off-field incidents have affected him. He had two arrests in 2010, four years after his career ended. One was for DUI and one was for spousal abuse. (The DUI was reduced to reckless driving, and the assault charge was dropped due to lack of evidence.) In 2000, he was charged with fourth-degree assault of his wife, entering a diversion program and making a donation to a women's shelter. He believes those things should not impact his candidacy for career honors, if they are.
"That’s why I resurfaced, man," Dillon said. "Because there has been a lot of wrong that needs to be un-wronged. Nobody gets this. I don’t want to get into people’s personal business, but there are a lot of Hall of Famers that did far more worse shit than I did. We can cancel out that excuse. There is no excuse for that. On top of that, I thought the game was predicated on numbers. Are people looking at the numbers like, 'Nah, nah'? I don’t think so."
Dillon thinks Bengals fans are still upset with him because: (1) he was outspoken during his career (he once said he'd rather be "flipping burgers" than to accept the team's restricted free agency tender); and (2) he left Cincinnati and won a championship.
That he did, in 2004. With a career-high 1,635 rushing yards for a dominant Patriots team. It's still the franchise's single-season record. And that has Dillon thinking he should have a spot in the Patriots' Hall of Fame, too.
"Don’t make this a Cincinnati thing, because I’m about to get on the Pats’ ass, too," he told Dehner. "It’s coming. I’m coming for it all. Give it to me while I’m breathing. If anybody wants to disagree, just go look at the fucking numbers and have a Coke and a smile."
Dillon's name rarely comes up in reference to his career accomplishments. When it comes to the great tailbacks of the 21st Century, he's typically forgotten when names like Adrian Peterson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Shaun Alexander, Frank Gore, LeSean McCoy, Steven Jackson, Clinton Portis, Chris Johnson, Matt Forte, Priest Holmes, Jamal Lewis, and Marshawn Lynch are mentioned.
The truth is that Dillon has more rushing yards than all but four of those other running backs.
Continue reading...
