Pittsburgh Maulers head coach Kirby Wilson set the record straight on De’Veon Smith losing his job.
The football world was set on fire when the former Maulers running back was cut when it appeared he wanted pizza over chicken salad. The video of Wilson informing Smith about losing his spot on the roster went mega-viral and is easily the most popular story of the young USFL season. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
However, it sounds like there is a lot more to the story.
Bro got cut by a USFL team for ordering pizza instead of a chicken salad??? lmaoooo pic.twitter.com/Vo7n7HD0PU
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) April 18, 2022
Wilson told Outkick the following in part when discussing the situation with De’Veon Smith:
There were three separate incidents that were brought to my attention that particular day. Meaning the night before he was released. I verified, I talked to all the people involved. He was not malicious. He was not bad. He didn’t threaten to beat up anybody, but there were three separate incidents in one day in three separate areas of the hotel where there was a lack of respect involved. Which, clearly, was part of our prior agreement. Once that occurred, I spoke to those individuals, I confirmed what happened and the next morning we had the meeting.
You can watch Wilson’s full comments below.
Honestly, it sounds like Wilson is pretty dead set on the fact that he didn’t do anything wrong, and as he pointed out to Outkick, he made it crystal clear to players he had a list of rules, which included respect, and if you broke them, you’d be gone.
While we don’t know all the details of what Smith allegedly did in the “three separate incidents,” it’s clear that Wilson thought Smith’s actions went too far.
Pro Football Player Loses His Job For Absurd Reason. Should He Be Furious? https://t.co/Ma0LdHCf6q
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 20, 2022
The good news for the USFL is that if you’re a young league, you need all the attention you can get, and this situation is being talked about all over the place.
Would the USFL prefer people talked about the play on the field? Sure, but that’s not really happening. You have to take what you can get, and this situation has eyeballs on it.
‘These Screenshots’: Pro Football Player Threatens To Flame His Old Coach After Losing His Job https://t.co/cen3J8a35Y
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 20, 2022
If the USFL is smart, the league will milk it for everything its worth.