Carson Wentz Doesn't Have to Address Reporters or Fans, but is there an Opportunity to Help Himself?
Not sure how many Greek mythology fans are out there, but there was this guy back in the day named “Sisyphus.”
He was punished in the underworld by the top dog, Zeus, who damned him to an eternity of pushing a boulder up a hill. When the boulder reached the top of the hill, it rolled back down to the bottom, and Sisyphus had to push the thing back up the hill, over and over.
It was a never-ending battle, and that’s typically the case when athletes go public to address reports that specifically mention their name. You can debunk one report, but then you kind of have to debunk every report, or else people start to wonder if there’s truth to ensuing things that are being said about you.
This week, Carson Wentz opted not to speak to the media following the week 17 loss, which was condemned by some self-important scribes and fans. Jason Kelce, on the other hand, also did not speak, but later clarified what happened on the sidelines during the game in a post to his personal Instagram account.
Jamie Lynch aka “The Silent Bro,” can pick it up from here:
Carson doesn't need to have a press conference to address this which is snowballing out of control. all he has to do is look to Kelce who controlled the message and released it on social media. it's that simple.
— Jamie Lynch (@jelynchjr) January 6, 2021
I’d more or less agree with Jamie. Carson doesn’t need to address the media or fans necessarily, but if he knows what he wants, there’s an opportunity to perhaps shut down further speculation and reporting. He would be showing his hand, yes, but also bringing an end to these nonstop “reports” about his future.
Carson did this once before, when he agreed to speak with a small group of reporters to address the Joe Santoliquito article. That seemed to be a positive thing, because the talk died down a bit after he said his piece and responded to accusations that he was a selfish person and less-than-stellar teammate.
The Sixers do this sometimes. You might recall when VP of Communications Dave Sholler came out and called the Chris Sheridan story about Brett Brown a “steaming pile of garbage.” In that tweet, he shut down the story entirely and pruned the burgeoning branches of future reporting on the subject.
The only problem with that strategy is that you paint yourself into a corner. If you refute the Brett Brown report, but not the Jimmy Butler “aggressively challenged the coach” report, does it mean the Jimmy Butler report is true? If you deny one thing, but not another, what are we led to believe? That’s what I mean by showing your hand, and in this case, perhaps it’s in Carson’s best interest to just lay low and let the process play out. Read the room, see what the Eagles want to do, and go from there. Obviously he doesn’t want to damage his trade value and the Birds’ leverage by putting his cards on the table, but if he does want to stay, he can end that speculation right now.
Either way, it’s interesting to think about. If Carson wants to return, and compete for his job, he can immediately shut down what will be many months of conjecture. If not, no worries, but people will continue to try to figure it out on their own, via anonymously sourced reports and other such mechanisms.