Gerald McCoy Upset With Buccaneers
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is making some noise. McCoy signed with the rival Carolina Panthers this offseason. He is upset that the Buccaneers gave his No. 93 to Ndamukong Suh. This was shortly after releasing him. Also, he felt disrespected by the lack of communication with the New Tampa bay coaching staff prior to the team cutting him.
“I’m one of the best players to ever play in the organization. I’m going to say it — usually I wouldn’t, but I’m going to say it. It kind of shows the respect and how they feel about me,” he said.
Gerald McCoy, who is third in franchise history with 54.5 sacks, signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers earlier this month. Suh signed a one-year deal with the team shortly after Tampa Bay released McCoy.
“It may seem like it’s just a number, but it’s bigger than that. It’s respect. That was a big part of the separation between me and Tampa, period, was the respect they showed to me all offseason. It just wasn’t there,” he said.
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McCoy added that he is particularly bothered by the silent treatment he got from head coach Bruce Arians and his staff before he was released, saying he didn’t get any phone calls from any of the coaches.
“I spoke to more people in Baltimore’s, Cleveland’s and Carolina’s staff than I spoke to the Bucs all offseason, and that’s a fact,” he said.
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“I earned that respect,” McCoy added. “Tampa hasn’t been a winning team, and we all know it’s hard to be considered a Pro Bowl, All-Pro person on a losing team, and I did it six years straight. That’s hard to do. For the respect I received after doing that, they showed none, and I don’t know why.”
One thing is for sure, Gerald McCoy is looking forward to facing the Buccaneers twice this season.
Asked if he had the dates circled in red, he said, “No, it’s in blue now. It’s going to be fun. I’m looking forward to it,” he said.