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Shortly after the Texans fired Ryan Mallett, Aaron Wilson managed to get an unknown (now former) teammate of Mallett's to say a few words about the quarterback. It was not flattering.
Now, Wilson has even more from Mallett's former comrades in arms. Whether this is simply more from the same player who spoke to Wilson in that first story or thoughts from additional Texans is unknown. Again, the player or players who spoke to Wilson spoke on the condition of remaining anonymous. And like the remarks from the first story, the latest quotes paint Mallett in a poor light and tell a tale of a player who repeatedly--not just the two times Mallett claimed--failed to show up for work on time.
"Ryan clearly just didn't get it," said one Texan, speaking on condition of anonymity. "How can you miss the flight? That's ridiculous and disrespectful to just not show up when everyone else is here ready to go.
"That makes you question whether he cared at all about what we're trying to do or what kind of problems he's dealing with. He's immature."
"With him being late so much and how he acted sometimes, it definitely makes you wonder what's going on with him," a former Texans teammate said. "It makes you worry about him. Obviously, something like this makes it tough for him to get on with another team. He's got to make some changes, or his football career will be over."
As that last quote implies, Wilson reports that "[a] few former teammates raised the question of whether Mallett needs professional assistance." The next paragraph in Wilson's story documents Mallett's 2009 arrest for public intoxication and Mallett's admission of past drug use to NFL executives at the 2011 NFL Combine, so the implication of what Mallett might require "professional assistance" with seems clear. It must be mentioned that there were never any public reports of Mallett misbehaving during his three years in New England, and any speculation that he did something wrong while in Houston beyond chronic tardiness and not being the best teammate he could be is just that--speculation.
Nevertheless, the fact that the question was raised by multiple teammates, coupled with his past transgressions, does not bode well for Mallett. Whether it's a simple case of Ryan Mallett needing to grow up or something much more serious, it's difficult to imagine another team voluntarily deciding to bring this sort of baggage onto its roster.
Is it possible Ryan Mallett's NFL career ended on Tuesday?
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