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Chiefs' Eric Winston stands by remarks; former player demands apology

By Ryan Wilson | Blogger

October 8, 2012 7:43 pm ET

0 | Comment

Winston kneels over Cassel after the KC QB suffered a concussion Sunday. (US Presswire)
After Sunday's loss to the Ravens, Chiefs offensive tackle Eric Winston unloaded on those fans at Arrowhead Stadium who cheered when quarterback Matt Cassel was down on the turf with a concussion.

"Boo him all you want; boo me all you want," Winston said Sunday via CBSSports.com's C.J. Moore. "Throw me under the bus. Tell me I'm doing a bad job. Say I got to protect him more. But if you're one of those people that were out there cheering or even smiled when he got knocked out, I just want to let you know and I want everybody to know that I think it's sickening and disgusting."

A day later, Winston stood by the criticism that he leveled at those fans cheering Cassel's injury.

“I meant what I said. I didn't say it off the cuff,” Winston said, via the the Kansas City Star's Adam Teicher (by way of PFT). “I look back on it, and I'm happy with what I said.”

Not everybody felt that way. Former Chiefs offensive lineman Rich Baldinger thinks Winston needs to apologize to the people of Kansas City.


"Needless to say, you cannot, after a game in a highly emotional situation, take your rant that way," Baldinger said. "It came off wrong. You embarrassed a lot of great people in the city of Kansas City that have been so supportive of this team. You go to any other city, and it's worse. These fans have been here through thick and thin.

"I was here in the '80s. It was bad, it got good and these fans have stayed here forever. Eric Winston, I think you owe these fans an apology because you cannot lump together everyone with a few you-know-what's out there -- a few jerks that might've had maybe one too many in the stands. So let's not put all these Kansas City fans together … Sometimes it's better to stop, take a breath, think about think about what you [say] before you say it."

Then the discussion promptly turned to Philly fans because, well, they always seem to come up whenever the topic is unruly crowd behavior. Incidentally, Baldinger's brother, Brian, serves as the Eagles' color commentator during preseason games.

Winston, meanwhile, offered this clarification on Monday: “I didn't mean all 70,000 [fans] were cheering. It might have been 7,000. It might have been 700. It's still too many.”

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How did you like it in the end Conan?

But if you're one of those people that were out there cheering or even smiled when he got knocked out, I just want to let you know and I want everybody to know that I think it's sickening and disgusting."

This has really blown up here in KC over the last day.
Around 1:30 Winston accuses the ENTIRE (70,000) fanbase for booing the injury which is just wrong of him.
ESPN ripped us today for this guys remarks.

http://www.kctv5.com/story/19761458/is- ... d-fans-for

you be the judge.

Yep. Azz hat clearly accuses all 70k in the stands.

I was there, and that's pure bs.

He can eat a hot bag o dix.

hawkdogger and I sparred over this, a little, in the KC/Balt thread

He was at the game and I've heard now from other places that the number of fans booing was minimal.

My problem was that any of our fans were cheering when Cassel was down

Winston was wrong, totally, by refering to the 70,000 cheering. The asinine national media picked this up and then ran with it

Of course, I could give a f, what ESPN thinks of KC