Cris Carter Offers Up His Best Piece Of Advice To NFL Rookies: Make Sure You Have A 'Fall Guy'

SI- Hall of Famer Cris Carter has apologized for comments advising players at the 2014 NFC rookie symposium to have a “fall guy” ready to accept blame should they encounter legal trouble.

“Seeing that video has made me realize how wrong I was,” Carter wrote Sunday night in a series of tweets. “I was brought there to educate young people and instead I gave them very bad advice. Every person should take responsibility for his own actions. I'm sorry and I truly regret what I said that day.”

Though the comments were made more than a year ago, the NFL did not take a stance until attention was called to video of Carter speaking at the event, which was originally posted on NFL.com. It has since been removed.The NFL issued a response to Carter's original comments earlier Sunday.



Uhhhh, am I watching Cris Carter give a monologue at the NFL rookie symposium, or am I watching the beginning of his interactive comedy set? That video kind of reminds me of when Bill Cosby's old ass used to go on Jimmy Fallon and would just wander around and make awkward remarks that people had no idea how to respond to. Probably never good when you remind someone of a delusional senior citizen with a rape problem, but what do I know? I'm actually leaning towards blaming the NFL for this. This is what you get when you give an ex-drug addict a mic and tell him to give advice to the youth of America. Especially an ex-drug addict with a big fucking mouth. This is what Cris Carter does. He's the black, ex-athlete version of Skip Bayless, except he actually believes the shit that is spewing from that gutter he calls a mouth. Skip Bayless knows he's a caricature of himself when he goes on 'First Take'. He knows he's famous because he says outlandish things that no rational person would agree with. Meanwhile, Cris Carter is already famous for being a Hall Of Fame wide receiver, but still can't stop himself from making headlines for all the wrong reasons. So Roger maybe next time let's just stick to having Herm Edwards up there. I think he has a better pulse for what's appropriate than the player who almost lost his career to drugs and alcohol.

All that being said, it is a good idea for NFL players to have a fall guy in their circles, but the rookie symposium is probably not the best place to discuss that. I thought the entire point was to teach rookies how to carry themselves as professionals, not how to get themselves swiftly out of situations where they act like criminals? Maybe we shouldn't admit defeat before their careers even start? What do you think about that Cris? Having a fall guy is like one of those things that goes without saying. Let the players with any semblance of street smarts figure it out for themselves. We don't have to make it rookie protocol to intentionally circumvent the law. You know in movies about college when the hard ass professor walks in and says something to the effect of "Look to your right. Now look to your left. Only one of you is going to pass"? If the professor followed that up with "...so you should probably cheat your ass off" then it would basically be the exact same thing as what Cris Carter is saying. Let the necessity to cheat be implied. Let the necessity for a fall guy be implied. How are we going to weed out the players that are too stupid for the league if CC is going around teaching them the intricacies of crime?

P.S. In retrospect it's HILARIOUS that Warren Sapp is up there nodding along in agreement about 'fall guys' less than a year before he got arrested, and subsequently lost his job, for  soliciting two hookers. No fall guy is going to save you from that crime.

P.P.S. Here's how I read these tweets...

"Talking to my employer made me realize that I am a fucking idiot that is lucky to receive a paycheck for formulating half conscious thoughts on national television. I truly regret being myself and if anyone had an ounce of social responsibility they would assassinate me....just don't forget to have a fall guy when you do it."

Seeing that video has made me realize how wrong I was. I was brought there to educate young people and instead I gave them very...

— Cris Carter (@criscarter80) August 24, 2015

bad advice. Every person should take responsibility for his own actions. I’m sorry and I truly regret what I said that day.”

— Cris Carter (@criscarter80) August 24, 2015