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League,
I want to apologize for making a scene today. It was early, I hadn't slept well, and this is what I woke up to. I reacted out of pure frustration.
Look, I get it—I suck. I’m usually drafting in the top 10 or top 5. But this game is a roll of the dice, drafts are a crapshoot, and we all view player data differently.
I blew up because I felt my integrity was questioned, and integrity is very important to me. In all fairness, I should be able to run my team how I see fit. Just because someone disagrees with a trade doesn’t mean it’s a bad deal or that something underhanded is happening. I’ve been here 20+ years, and my decisions have never been questioned like this. It’s incredibly frustrating to be publicly called out after two decades of showing how much I care about this league.
I know we want a fair and balanced playing field, and the backlash may not have been intended to come across as personal, but that is exactly how it felt. Furthermore, this deal was not anywhere close to the past trade that was being mentioned and compared to it.
The trade is now voided—thank you to Joe for stepping in and addressing the entire situation—but the sting of having my character questioned over what I do with my team remains. 20+ years of history should account for something.
To clear the air, here was the football logic behind the move:
The implication that this lacked "integrity" really eats at me. I have never given anyone a reason to assume I would operate without it.
I wouldn't stay if I didn't love the game. My worry was that every move I make going forward will be heavily scrutinized, taking the fun out of it. But I value this league and I want to stay. I just needed everyone to know how I felt. I will leave it up to the board on if they choose to accept my apology.
Moving forward, I will be more cautious in my replies, but I am still going to run my team how I see fit. If you ever have an issue with a move I make, please feel free to reach out to me directly. Those who actually know me know I am easy to talk to—there is no need to put everyone on blast.
Big thanks to Joe the Commissioner, Bylanta, and the others who reached out to talk me off the ledge. I should have done that before hitting the exit button.
Let's put this behind us and get back to the game.
Thanks
David
I want to apologize for making a scene today. It was early, I hadn't slept well, and this is what I woke up to. I reacted out of pure frustration.
Look, I get it—I suck. I’m usually drafting in the top 10 or top 5. But this game is a roll of the dice, drafts are a crapshoot, and we all view player data differently.
I blew up because I felt my integrity was questioned, and integrity is very important to me. In all fairness, I should be able to run my team how I see fit. Just because someone disagrees with a trade doesn’t mean it’s a bad deal or that something underhanded is happening. I’ve been here 20+ years, and my decisions have never been questioned like this. It’s incredibly frustrating to be publicly called out after two decades of showing how much I care about this league.
I know we want a fair and balanced playing field, and the backlash may not have been intended to come across as personal, but that is exactly how it felt. Furthermore, this deal was not anywhere close to the past trade that was being mentioned and compared to it.
The trade is now voided—thank you to Joe for stepping in and addressing the entire situation—but the sting of having my character questioned over what I do with my team remains. 20+ years of history should account for something.
To clear the air, here was the football logic behind the move:
- The Problem: I have $60M+ tied up in five secondary players. Levine wants $40M/year, and Carr is entering year 9 next season.
- The Move: Moving Armstrong cleared $10M+ in cap space to help re-ink Levine or add depth.
- The Replacement: Grutz gave me a low-cost option with good bars and numbers. My talks with Bylanta confirmed I could re-sign him for way less and get 3 years out of him.
- The Strategy: The space was for late free agency and in-season flexibility. Anyone who knows me knows I don't spend all my cap (hence the losing).
The implication that this lacked "integrity" really eats at me. I have never given anyone a reason to assume I would operate without it.
I wouldn't stay if I didn't love the game. My worry was that every move I make going forward will be heavily scrutinized, taking the fun out of it. But I value this league and I want to stay. I just needed everyone to know how I felt. I will leave it up to the board on if they choose to accept my apology.
Moving forward, I will be more cautious in my replies, but I am still going to run my team how I see fit. If you ever have an issue with a move I make, please feel free to reach out to me directly. Those who actually know me know I am easy to talk to—there is no need to put everyone on blast.
Big thanks to Joe the Commissioner, Bylanta, and the others who reached out to talk me off the ledge. I should have done that before hitting the exit button.
Let's put this behind us and get back to the game.
Thanks
David
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