Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star columnist and noted Deflategate hot-take artist, used his space Tuesday to ask a burning question: Is former Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne a traitor for signing with the rival New England Patriots?
Most rational people would — including a number of Wayne’s former teammates — would respond to that with a “No, of course not.” It was, after all, the Colts’ decision not to re-sign the veteran wideout after his 14th season in Indy.
But that didn’t stop Doyel from dedicating more than 800 words to the subject, during which he questioned Wayne’s motivation and wondered whether this is all a ploy by Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who might have signed the receiver “merely to stick it to the Colts before releasing him, as he may well have signed Tim Tebow in 2013 to stick it to the Jets before releasing him.”
Huh? We doubt the Jets were too bent out of shape when Tebowmania landed in New England.
Doyel went on to quote several Twitter users expressing sadness or anger over Wayne’s decision, despite admitting that close to 75 percent of those who responded to his prompt said they had no problem with the receiver taking his talents to Foxboro.
“Reggie Wayne is clearly one of the most popular Colts ever to play in this city,” Doyel wrote. “In fact, it’s possible that only two others belong in the conversation: Peyton Manning and Robert Mathis. … Which makes this move surprising, doesn’t it? You can support Wayne’s right to play wherever he wants, and be happy for him to have this chance at another Super Bowl ring, but it’s impossible — for me, anyway — not to wonder about his motivation for picking the Patriots.”
Mathis, by the way, does not seem to share Doyel’s concern:
[tweet https://twitter.com/RobertMathis98/status/636242223395377152 align=’center’]
And really, it’s pretty simple to understand.
The Patriots have a banged-up receiving corps and a coach with a history of bringing in aging stars. Wayne is just that, and he wants nothing more than one more Super Bowl ring before he hangs ’em up.
As Wayne told reporters Tuesday in Foxboro: “I want to win. Point blank.”
That sounds like pretty good motivation to us.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
