NFL owners are excited about the prospect of putting a franchise in London sometime in the near future. Some players don’t seem quite as enthused.
Cincinnati Bengals tackle Andrew Whitworth is one of the players standing up against the idea of possibly going overseas, according to the Cincinnati Inquirer.
“I would hope that I was financially able to quit,” Whitworth said. “That’s what I would hope, because if I was, my [retirement] papers would be the first one in.”
The financial aspect would have to be a factor for most players, including Whitworth, who is in the final year of a $30 million extension with the Bengals. Even so, Whitworth doesn’t think many players would be itching to play for a franchise in another country — never mind another continent.
“I don’t see that a lot of guys would want to do that,” Whitworth said. “I don’t see any players that would enjoy that. Sure, you may find a handful of guys that say, ‘Oh hey, that’d be cool,’ but the rest of them wouldn’t.”
Whitworth may not have to worry too much, as the Bengals are well established in Cincinnati already. The Jaguars are the unfortunate recipients of all the London hype lately. So, Maurice Jones-Drew and Blaine Gabbert should be the ones fretting.
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Photo via Facebook/Andrew Whitworth
