The Dolphins traded Mike Wallace to the Vikings last week, a move that appeared to start gathering momentum the moment the wide receiver pulled himself from Miami's Week 17 loss to the Jets.
Maurkice Pouncey, Wallace's former teammate in Pittsburgh, was asked by CBS Miami on Tuesday what he felt about a player who voluntarily sits out while his teammates compete. Curiously, the reporter opens by saying "Without naming names," though it appears to be a question aimed directly at Wallace's actions.
"First of all, in my opinion, he's a coward," Pouncey told CBS Miami. "I never want a guy on my team like that, man. To walk out on your band of brothers."
"Forget the things that don't happen in the game, say if you don't get the ball a lot or you mess up and they pull you out. Forget about all that, it's about playing for your brothers."
Maurkice's brother, Dolphins center Mike Pouncey, was also interviewed. He was asked why Dolphins players were "scared" to share their own opinion. NFL Media's Jeff Darlington reported at the time of Wallace's self-benching that many Miami players were displeased.
"I think the offseason is the time to speak your mind," Mike Pouncey said. "Obviously our organization felt that way about some guys, and they got those guys out of our football team. I think it was the right move for everybody because at the end of the day if not everybody's on the same page you're not going to win football games, it takes 11 not 10 and so I'm glad that we moved on from that and I can't wait to see where we go on from here."
Wallace tweeted Tuesday that the Pounceys are his "lil bros" and explained the men were speaking in generalities while adding that the "media can do whatever they want." We have to wonder if Wallace is still buying that story after watching the raw footage of the interview.
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