Kyler Murray Or Arizona Cardinals? It’s A Tie

Neither Kyler Murray nor those who run the Arizona Cardinals will recover their reputation anytime soon (OK, never) from the strangest clause in a player’s contract since that Jell-O thing.

Or at least that strip-club mandate.

OK, that red cleats ban.

• That Jell-O thing: During the late 1980s, Houston Astros reliever Charlie Kerfeld had a clause in his contract ordering the franchise to give him 37 boxes of orange Jell-O.
• That strip-club mandate: Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant was allowed through his contract to visit late-night establishments, but the franchise had to approve each trip, and he was required to have a security team with him at all time.
• That red cleats ban: In 2016, when Bryant had his strip-club mandate, Sporting Lisbon was enforcing a clause in the contract of Sebastian Coates banning the defender from wearing red footwear, which clashed with the team’s green-and-white color scheme.

As for Murray and the Cardinals, it was That homework fiasco, which raged for much of this week.

The damage was done . . . and permanent.

It doesn’t matter team officials said Thursday they removed the addendum (well, That homework fiasco) from Murray’s contract declaring the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback was required to study game material for four hours per week on his own.

According to NFL.com, the addendum also said, Murray would “not receive credit for the independent study if he was ‘not personally studying or watching the material while it is being displayed or played’ or if the player is involved in activities that could distract his attention (i.e. television, video games or surfing the internet).”

Huh?

Don’t ask.

“After seeing the distraction it created, we removed the addendum from the contract,” the Cardinals said in a statement. “It was clearly perceived in ways that were never intended. Our confidence in Kyler Murray is as high as it’s ever been and nothing demonstrates our belief in his ability to lead this team more than the commitment reflected in this contract.”

Yeah, well. The whole situation makes Cardinals officials look clueless regarding the biggest star on their roster. Courtesy of the clause that was and then wasn’t, Cardinals officials essentially were admitting (1) Murray hasn’t worked as hard as he should have during his three years with the team, and (2) he hasn’t responded to them saying “pretty please’ when they’ve asked him to do better.

That’s another way of saying the Cardinals need sharper folks in their personnel and coaching departments.

About the Cardinals personnel department: If the 24-year-old Murray is that dreadful when it comes to his work ethic, Cardinals officials should have detected that before they used the No. 1 pick overall in the 2019 NFL Draft to grab the Heisman Trophy winner from Oklahoma.

About the Cardinals coaching department: If you go by the clause that was and then wasn’t, Kliff Kingsbury is no Bill Belichick, for instance. The consistently effective NFL head coaches motivate players to go beyond the mandatory regarding preparation, or they use assistant coaches to accomplish as much.

Then there is Murray, suddenly the anti-Desmond Ridder among those in the Cardinals Nation and beyond — you know, if you go by the clause that was and then wasn’t. Ridder was picked by the Atlanta Falcons this spring after a productive career at the University of Cincinnati (44-6 record, including a trip last season to the College Football Playoff).

Even before the Falcons began training camp this week, head coach Arthur Smith raved about Ridder’s non-stop studying of film and the team’s playbook. Smith said, “He’s light years ahead of most other young quarterbacks from the neck up. I will give him that compliment.”

Murray rarely have received such praise from Cardinals officials, coaches or teammates. He called an impromptu news conference after Thursday’s training camp practice. He mentioned his small size for an NFL quarterback (5-foot-10) and his ability to play baseball well enough to have the Oakland A’s select him ninth overall in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft.

Afterward, Murray said questioning his work ethic was “disrespectful” and “almost a joke.”

“People can’t comprehend the amount of time that it takes to do two sports at a high level in college, let alone be the first person to do it ever at my size,” Murray said, referring to his outfield days at Oklahoma. “It’s funny.”

So, if Murray is so disgusted by the clause that was and then wasn’t, why did he agree to a contract extension worth $230.5 million with $105 million guaranteed and with that addendum?

Again . . .

Don’t ask.