Dave Wannstedt was the head coach for the Chicago Bears for a long time from 1993 to 1998. He still loves the organization and has stuck close to the team as an analyst for Fox Sports and 670 The Score. So it shouldn’t be a surprise he would take their side in matters regarding contract negotiations, as he did when asked about the ongoing holdout status of first round pick Roquan Smith.
People sometimes forget that Wannstedt wasn’t just the head coach too. During the first four seasons of his tenure in Chicago, he acted as the de facto general manager as well, so he played a big part in acquiring players. This might explain why the team had so much trouble draft top tier talent, but that’s not the point.
This shows that he has a clear bias and even distaste for agents, as his comments reflected when answering the question.
‘‘It really doesn’t make much sense. The way [salaries] are slotted now, for a rookie to hold out because of some fine print, it’s pretty selfish from an agent standpoint to do that. This kid needs to be here. These are valuable days. They play a preseason game a week from now. And you do not get these days back.
You would think that an agent would be smart enough to understand that. At some point, the player’s got to understand: ‘This guy works for me. I’m not working for the agent.’ And you’ve got to stand up and say: ‘The contract’s fair. I need to get in practice and help this football team.’ ’’
Opinions will vary on the comment itself. Some will agree, some won’t. However, in making them it seems Wannstedt exposed himself as a bit of a hypocrite.
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Former player calls out Wannstedt for having no place to criticize Roquan Smith
Former Miami Dolphins tight end Randy McMichael played under Wannstedt for three years from 2002 to 2004. During that time it appears man developed a sincere dislike for his former head coach as his retort over the Smith comment reflected.
Players always selfish. Was it selfish when u quit on us in 2004 Dave 🙄 https://t.co/4uwsoPRR21
— Randy McMichael (@randymac81) July 27, 2018
This is in reference to Wannstedt resigning from the Dolphins midway through the 2004 season when the team had started 1-8. Not long after he’d left, he accepted a position to take over as head coach at the University of Pittsburgh. It’s hard not to see that and think Wannstedt ducked out when things got hard. A selfish move.
So for him to accuse the agents of being selfish in trying to get Smith the best possible deal they can, it’s rather laughable. Especially considering Wannstedt’s personal bias on top of that. Maybe he would’ve been better off just not answering the question at all.
