Buffalo Bills General Manager Doug Whaley may be in charge of a roster of men who play professional football, but in a radio interview earlier this week, Whaley said he doesn't feel the game is something the players' bodies are designed to play.
"This is the game of football," he told WGR-AM, 550, in Buffalo on Tuesday. "Injuries are part of it. It's a violent game that I personally don't think humans are supposed to play."
After drawing criticism for his comment, Whaley issued a statement Wednesday stating that he "used a poor choice of words" during the interview.
"As a former player who has the utmost respect and love for the game, the point that I was trying to make is that football is a physical game and injuries are a part of it," he said.
Whaley backed off his original comment in the statement, lauding the benefits of playing football and the NFL's safety advances.
"Playing football no doubt is very physically, mentally and emotionally challenging, and that is part of what makes the game so compelling to play and watch," Whaley said in the statement. "The game has more protection for players now than ever, thanks largely to the safety advancements and numerous rule changes made by our league and promoted to all levels of football."
Whaley's thoughts Tuesday came as part of a larger response to a question about whether top receiver Sammy Watkins is injury-prone.
"I wouldn't say [he's injury-prone]. If you look at his game log, he's only missed three games. So is he injury-prone? I wouldn't say that. Are things going to come up with a guy like this? We hope that gets limited in the future," Whaley said before elaborating.
Watkins, who underwent surgery this offseason to repair a broken foot, was on crutches and had his left foot in a walking boot during the Bills' organized team activities Tuesday.
"These are going to come up," Whaley said about Watkins' situation. "We trust our medical staff and we trust in each individual athlete to do what they have to do to get back on the field."
Goal met
The power of social media helped a Maryland teenager land a prom date with a Washington Redskins cheerleader.
Stephen Bieber, a student at Old Mill High School in Anne Arundel County, Md., reached out to cheerleader Christa Aiken on her Instagram page back in March.
"100% serious, how many retweets I gotta get on Twitter for you to go to prom with me? 10,000 enough? Please," Bieber wrote.
"At least 10K!!" Aiken responded.
Bieber accepted the challenge, reaching the total in five days. He even got help from Terrance Knighton of the New England Patriots, who played for the Redskins last season, and free agent Antonio Cromartie to help reach his goal.
Aiken held up her end of the bargain, arriving with Bieber to his prom last weekend in a Rolls-Royce.
"Prom 2K16 was lit, you could say," Bieber tweeted with a collage of photos from the event.
Sports on 05/27/2016