Former NFL wide receiver Joe “Hollywood” Horn is known for talking a big game, but in an interview with “The Football Girl” Monday, he might have dropped his most inflammatory comments to date.
A four-time Pro Bowler, Horn retired after the 2007 season — he spent stints in Kansas City and Atlanta in addition to seven seasons with New Orleans — and he expressed extreme displeasure with the direction the NFL has taken under the stewardship of commissioner Roger Goodell. (RELATED: Megalomaniac Roger Goodell Suspended Tom Brady For Refusing To Stroke His Ego)
Here’s what I don’t like. I don’t like what Roger Goodell is doing. He has so much power that he can almost shut people down. I just don’t like him. And I don’t like that on draft day these kids don’t know that they’re hugging the devil. I hate to see kids that are lost and then happy but they really don’t know that the man they’re hugging will rip their throat apart. If he has an opportunity to take money from them, or there’s a situation where they’re guilty before they go to court, he’ll rip them apart. And there’s nothing no one can do about it. [bold added] If the owners are happy with Roger Goodell, the fans, the media, no one can take his job from him. I hate it…
The owners gave him that power. He doesn’t work for the players…
First of all, people need to understand he works for the owners and understands his power. People like Cris Carter and Chris Berman, who can usually say what they want, they can’t say anything bad about Roger Goodell or he’ll cut their throats…
C’mon! And the whole Brady thing, I’m not mad at Tom. He’s a great athlete and he does what he needs to do to win the football game. If he deflated balls and the guys did for him, I’m not mad at Tom for that. Guys do things all the time to get ahead that the NFL doesn’t know about.
Obligatory (WATCH):
This isn’t Horn’s first time speaking out against league leadership. Back in 2011, Horn was among a group of 11 former players that sued the league for not taking, “necessary steps to protect players from long-term brain injuries in the face of overwhelming medical evidence that on-field concussions lead directly to such injuries.”
[h/t: Bleacher Report]