Tennessee Titans coach Robert Saleh passionately defended Jordan Elliott‘s character and said that last week’s gun-related incident involving the defensive lineman was “a call for help more than a criminal act.”
Saleh confirmed that Elliott attempted to retrieve a gun from his car last Thursday following an altercation with a teammate at practice. The first-year Titans head coach vouched for Elliott, calling him a “good man.”
“[Elliott] had a terrible lapse in judgment that I recognize as a call for help more than a criminal act,” Saleh said Wednesday. “It’s unfortunate the way it went down. As far as Jordan’s concerned and the locker room and all that, I think people see it differently here than the knee-jerk reaction of the world.”
Saleh’s comments came one day after the Titans released Elliott for what they described as an undisclosed “incident” that occurred at the team facility last Thursday.
After a dispute with offensive lineman JC LathamElliott went to his parked car in the players’ parking lot to get his gun, which never left Elliott’s parking spot, a source told NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Titans defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers helped to deescalate the situation, according to Saleh.
The Titans notified the NFL of the incident, which currently is being reviewed by the league.
“I think the organization and the NFL did an outstanding job with regards to pausing, which I think everyone needs to do in this situation is pause with regards to the news that Jordan had a gun,” Saleh said. “The reason why I think the NFL and the organization did an outstanding job is because this is a man who’s a father, a great husband. He’s never committed a crime in his entire life, and he pulled a gun in the parking lot.
“And the first question that I think everyone forgets to ask is why would a great man — a great father, a man who shows up on time every day, works his ass off every day, contributes the way he’s supposed to contribute, is well liked in the locker room — why did he go off the rails and grab a gun?”
Latham said Wednesday that he hadn’t had any prior confrontations with Elliott, adding that the two have socialized together in other cities. Latham said if given the opportunity, he’d like to reach out to Elliott.
The NFL’s firearm policy prohibits any personnel from possessing firearms at any team or league facilities, including stadiums, hotels, planes and buses, a league spokesperson told ESPN.
“I will stand on the table for Jordan’s character,” Saleh said. “Unfortunately, rules are rules with regard to guns on property, and sometimes it’s far greater than the knee-jerk reaction of kicking somebody when they’re down.”
Saleh added that he would endorse Elliott, a seven-year NFL veteran, to other teams interested in signing him as a free agent.
“My message to 31 other teams would be: If you need a hell of a run-stopping D-tackle that can help you on a playoff run, give me a call,” Saleh said. “I’ll tell you everything you need to know about him. He’s a good man.”
Elliott, 28, signed a two-year deal worth up to $8.5 million with the Titans in the offseason after spending the previous two seasons with Saleh and the San Francisco 49ers. He appeared in five games this season with one start, registering 11 tackles.
ESPN’s Turron Davenport contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com
