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Vikings legend Cris Carter apologizes for ‘fall-guy’ speech

By Adam Carlson

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Minnesota Vikings legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter was one of the honored guests at the 2014 NFC Rookie Symposium.  He took this opportunity to speak to the young players on hand and help prepare them for their future in the National Football League.

Cris Carter knows about getting in trouble as a professional football player.  He had a major alcohol and drug problem which was a major factor in Carter losing his job with the Philadelphia Eagles.  He was able to turn his life around and clean up after being scooped up by the Minnesota Vikings.

His story is a very educational one for players.  If he had told that story, the kids on hand would have likely taken quite a bit away from it.  Instead, Carter took this opportunity to talk about something else:  a technique to keep players out of trouble according to the KARE 11 website.

"“If y’all have got a crew, you have to have a fall-guy in the crew,” Carter said."

Jan 25, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Team Carter alumni captain Cris Carter on the sidelines during the 2015 Pro Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Personally, this quote doesn’t even bother me.  Many jobs have people who are willing and ready to take the fall for more important people.  Heck, I assume that this happens as far down as the high school football level and only gets intensified when it reaches the college level.  And while having a “fall-guy” is actually good advice, it isn’t the kind of thing that should be said.  Instead, the focus should be on staying out of trouble instead of how to get out of trouble.

Carter even brought quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on to the stage, who had recently been drafted by the Minnesota Vikings, and had some strange words of advice for him as well.

"“This right here is Teddy Bridgewater, Inc.,” Carter said. “Now, I let my home boys know. Y’all want to keep rolling like this, then I need to know who’s going to be the fall-guy. Who’s going to be driving. Because you are all not going to be doing the right stuff, so I need to teach you how to get around this stuff too.”"

It’s hard to imagine Teddy Bridgewater ever being in a situation where he needs to circumvent the rules of the NFL or any laws.  Maybe that’s the charm of Bridgewater.  Still, it is interesting that Carter took his opportunity during his conversation to stress the importance of protecting his “brand’.

Here is the video of this speech as hosted on the KARE 11 website:

Since this story was released, Cris Carter took to his Twitter account to apologize for his words as well as show his regret for teaching these young men through some poor advice.

What do you guys think?  Should Cris Carter feel bad about his “fall-guy” statement?  Or do you think this is only in the news because of the current state of the NFL regarding drug, abuse, and gameday scandals?  Let me know your opinion in the comments below.

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