By now, we are all well aware of the meltdown cornerback Damarious Randall had against the Chicago Bears in September. He got beaten on the field, benched and then sent to the locker room after a sideline outburst.
Following the incident, Randall returned to the starting lineup and played well. However, if some teammates would have had their way, Randall wouldn’t have even had the opportunity.
Demovsky says some of the team’s veterans wanted Randall gone after his meltdown.
There was strong sentiment in the locker room at that time to give Randall the boot — sources said McCarthy’s committee of veteran players suggested that Randall be released.
He also says the Packers felt Randall could have played through a knee injury that sidelined him for the final two games. Of course, those final two games didn’t matter, but considering the Packers are notoriously conservative with injuries, it isn’t a good look for Randall.
So here’s a guy who didn’t have the respect of his teammates or the coaching staff. The Packers were probably lucky to get something in return for him via trade with the Browns. They obviously wanted him gone one way or another.
Coach Mike McCarthy was harsh when asked about Randall’s criticism of former defensive coordinator Dom Capers, following the season.
“I’ll tell you what I told Damarious: He needs to focus on himself,” McCarthy said. “He’s got to clean his own house. That’s what I look for him to do in the offseason. He did a lot of really good things. We all understand what happened in the Chicago game, but I thought from the Chicago game on, he played at a very high level. He probably played the best football of his career, but then he didn’t play the last two games. He needs to go home and self-evaluate and clean his own house. We all need to clean our own house.”
Interestingly, Randall already has an enemy in his new locker room. After the Packers beat the Browns in 2017, Randall got into it with receiver Josh Gordon. He ultimately suggested Gordon, who has been suspended by the league for drugs multiple times, was still on drugs.