Last month, Ryan Tannehill made headlines when he said he didn’t “think it’s my job to mentor” Malik Willis after the Tennessee Titans selected the quarterback in the NFL Draft. Now, Tannehill says he’s “disappointed” with the way those comments were interpreted.
“I meant no disrespect to Malik or anything close to that. We’ve been in constant communication since he was drafted, through the madness that ensued after my last press conference…We’re happy to have him in the room. Really just disappointed in how things got spun and twisted a little bit,” Tannehill told reporters on Tuesday.
In that initial interview, Tannehill said that he “texted Malik right after we drafted him” and that “I have no problems with Malik. We’re looking to add talent and guys that can help us. We’ll add him to the room and go from there.”
While he did say it wasn’t his job to mentor the rookie, he did add that “if he learns from me along the way, then that’s a great thing.”
Tannehill received plenty of backlash over the blurb, from Kurt Warner to LeSean McCoy to many other NFL veterans.
For his part, Willis has said he’s excited to play alongside Tannehill and join the Titans.
“Ryan Tannehill is a great player, and he’s a great leader for this organization,” said Willis. “I just want to come in and just do all I can in order to get better at my craft. Whenever that time comes for me to get on the field, then that time will come.”
Regardless of how Tannehill meant it, those comments are going to hang over the season, especially if and when Willis ends up supplanting him as the starting quarterback.
[PFT]
