Deangelo Williams should not have said that Coach West held him out of the game. False. He did not, he held himself out.
Deangelo Williams should not have said that "I wanted to play, it was the coach that said I wasn't ready." Untrue. If you believe Tommy, which I absolutely do.
Fans want to think that you would have died to get out on that field, that you could not stand not playing. That it killed you to not be out there against UT on that stage. That's not the impression anyone has gotten... not even the die-hards.
He should not have said that "it's difficult to tell depending on who you are playing."
That sends the message that he was scared, right or wrong, that's what it says. That's fine, he has a career to worry about, but he is on a team now that desperately needs him to try if he can and to not push it off on Tommy as if he was the reason.
Tommy was furious, trust me on this. He thought his guy could go, and he didn't. It really bothered him and that is why he reacted as he did.
Crazed fans can blame the media all they want, but this is not the media. The media helped build this guy into a massive name and local hero. When it's sugar it's sugar...
The kid screwed up. Be nutty if you like, but the truth in this situation is not pretty.
Great kid, great ambassador, great player. He bailed. It adds up to everyone with a brain at this point.
There is now a chink in the under armour.
Verno