Ryan Tannehill on Degrading Report: 'It's Slanderous'
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DAVIE (CBSMiami) -- Earlier in the week, a report surfaced alleging Ryan Tannehill berated a practice squad player during a practice in London the day before the Dolphins-Jets game, telling him to "enjoy" his "practice squad paycheck." The report also stated how Joe Philbin urged practice-squad players to "take it easy" on the Dolphins quarterback.
After Wednesday's practice Tannehill called the paycheck part of that report "slanderous" and "sickening."
"It was the day before the game," he said of the walkthrough. "I didn't feel like we were getting the looks we needed the day before a game so I got upset. I said nothing about a paycheck or anything close to that. I know everyone in this building works hard every single day so I respect that and I would never take a shot like that. Am I happy about everything I said? No, that things went down the way they did. But I hold myself to a higher standard than to take a shot at something like that, especially guys I work with everyday and respect how they go about their business."
Tannehill explained that typically for them a Saturday practice is "more of a perfect-play type thing, where there is a defense out there but they let the offense make the plays. They've seen these plays throughout the week so we're just trying to get fast, crisp reps on offense."
Mike Pouncey was a little more blunt, saying the report is "all bulls**t."
"Ryan's not that kind of guy," he said. "To my recalling he never said that. I think it's bulls**t. He don't deserve that."
Is Tannehill upset about it?
"Yeah I'm upset," Tannehill said. "Honestly it's slanderous to report things -- that first of all I didn't say, to put words into my mouth that I didn't say, to degrade my reputation and what I stand for. Honestly it's sickening to me. And then on top of that just the fact that something from the locker room gets out upsets me as well."
With a new head coach in charge in Dan Campbell and more potential changes on the way, the floundering Dolphins have another 11 days to try and sort things out before facing the Titans in Week 6.
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