First, Timmy Jernigan wanted to honor Warren Sapp. Now he wants nothing to do with him.
It all started when the Ravens sent out a seemingly mundane tweet about Jernigan's plan to change his uniform number.
Understandably, Sapp's response caught Jernigan off guard. Two years ago, the men had developed a relationship after being introduced by a mutual friend. Sapp reached out to Jernigan after the tackle slipped in the 2014 draft following reports of a diluted drug test. Sapp could relate: Back in 1995, he dropped in the first round after reports of failed drug tests surfaced.
But a relationship that started with good intentions took a wrong turn this week. Jernigan said he has chosen to be the "bigger person."
"Every now and then, you come across those type of people in life," Jernigan said, according to ESPN.com. "I just can't worry about that. I'm not worried about that guy. I'm not changing my number. And if you don't want it to be about him, it doesn't have to. At the end of the day, it's just a number."
PewterReport.com reached out to Sapp, who said he took issue with Jernigan not contacting him before changing his number. Sapp was asked what he would have told Jernigan if he'd called.
"Go out and make a name for yourself," Sapp said. "Don't go and use a first-ballot defensive tackle that you will now be judged against. Are you kidding me? Who signed up for that?"
Exhausting behavior from Sapp, who has to have something better to do than get petty with a kid who viewed him as a role model. Then again, maybe he doesn't.
