Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams found himself in the odd position of having to explain excessive praise of a teammate on Sunday.
Adams said in a recent interview that he was adjusting to going from “Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer” after being traded from the Packers to the Raiders. The wide receiver was mocked for the comment, as few would argue that Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is on a Hall of Fame trajectory.
Adams tried to explain the comment on Sunday, comparing himself to a rapper who flubbed the delivery. However, he also seemed to double down on his comments despite admitting he misspoke.
“What I meant, I left one key word out of there because that’s not exactly what I meant,” Adams said, via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN. “But I do think that Derek’s career is Hall of Fame-worthy, and why not? Does he have the MVPs right now? No. Has he won a Super Bowl? Not yet. That’s obviously what we’re chasing.
“But what I meant to say was, ‘Even if you go Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer, it’s an adjustment.’ I wasn’t saying, ‘ Hall of Famer Aaron to Hall of Famer Derek.’ So, I’m not retracting my statement at all.”
The notion that Adams simply flubbed what he was trying to say is entirely plausible. His problem now is that it’s impossible for him to clear things up without slighting someone. He knows his comment looked completely ridiculous, but backtracking could seem like he’s displaying a lack of faith in his quarterback. That would certainly be fodder for those around the league who have plenty of doubts about Carr.
Carr and Adams played together at Fresno State, so they probably don’t need to clarify how they view each other. Still, Adams might want to choose his words more carefully in the future.
More must-reads: