Tools of the NFL: Marcus Peters

If I were to mention the 2014 Washington Huskies Football Team, what would come to your mind? If you are an average football fan, I presume probably nothing. On the other hand, if you are a little more than an average football fan, you probably will recall the 2014 offseason more so than the actual season. The 2014 offseason saw the abrupt departure of Washington’s then head coach, Steve Sarkisian, to become the head coach of fellow PAC-12 conference foe – USC. Then again, you may very well be a hyper-active football fan or may be an alumnus from the University of Washington and therefore would most likely remember the birth of what would become one of the greatest Tools to ever play on the gridiron – Marcus Peters.

On September 6, 2014 Marcus Peters made what would have been a rather mundane game between Eastern Washington University (a I-AA powerhouse) and Washington into one of the greatest spectacles of pure stupidity in all of sport. The score was 44-38, Washington led, and Eastern Washington had the ball in the third-quarter. On third down Eastern Washington’s quarterback dropped back to pass, but was sacked by Washington’s defensive player, Shaq Thompson. In a typical situation this would have forced Eastern Washington to have to punt the ball, but with Marcus Peters on the field it’s always best to assume and prepare for the irrational. Almost immediately after Thompson made the sack, Peters decided to head-butt an Eastern Washington receiver. Instantaneously, Marcus Peters was awarded an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty for his idiotic act. This resulted in Eastern Washington receiving a first down and would eventually lead to an Eastern Washington scoring a touchdown, putting them ahead 45-44.

However, Peters’ tantrum wasn’t over yet, as he took it upon himself to argue with assistant coaches on the sideline. At one point in his arguing Peters thought it was best to throw his helmet and gloves to the ground. In turn, Chris Petersen, head coach and unknowingly full-time babysitter of the University of Washington football team, benched Peters for the remainder of the game. After the game it was decided that Peters would be suspended for the coming week’s game against the University of Illinois.

The Marcus Peters soap opera would continue throughout the 2014 season. The episode finale came after Peters had another sideline outburst with his assistant coaches during a game against Colorado. That ensuing Thursday, November 6, coach Chris Petersen dismissed Marcus Peters from the team after Peters engaged in another outburst with a coach during Wednesday’s practice. However, Coach Petersen “defended” his former player by stating that no single mistake led to Peters being dismissed from the team, but for multiple reasons. “It’s never one thing. We’re not going to dismiss a guy because it’s one thing.”

In Peters’ defense how else was he supposed to carry himself? He was ranked as a first-round 2015 NFL draft pick, ranked the number 22 top NFL prospect on ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s big board, and was Washington’s only veteran cornerback on the team. Personally, I think we were asking too much from Peters. How was he supposed to know that head-butting a player when the play was over was a penalty and, better yet, what future first round draft pick is to receive constructive criticism from assistant coaches? The answer is easy – no one. Peters had every right to make himself look like a complete and incompetent fool, while presumably letting down his fellow teammates by succumbing to his own adolescent and tyrannical tirades, which would lead to his dismissal and leave his teammates with a weaker defensive backfield.

There was one thing going for Peters: he was applying for a job with the one employer where employees are permitted to get away with violent outbursts, sideline screaming matches, and indecent acts that only could be fathomed by those who walk as though they are entitled divas – The National Football League.

Peters made sure to let everyone know, specifically the NFL teams who may be looking to draft him, that he has learned from his mistakes and that he will grow from them. However, in order to learn from one’s past mistakes, one needs to be able to admit to what those mistakes were. SBNation reported, in a February 2015 interview with Peters, that Peters was unable to say what mistakes he made, but wanted it to be known that the report of him choking a University of Washington assistant football coach was false. However, don’t worry, Peters, later in the interview, made it be known that he takes “full responsibility of what happened” at Washington, even if he can’t recall what those mistakes were. This same act of “apologize but refuse to assume responsibility” was used by former attorney general Jeff Sessions when he was being interviewed by the House of Representatives, regarding him lying under oath during his confirmation hearings. Ironically the strategy worked in both situations – Jeff Sessions wouldn’t be found for perjury (even though he lied) and Marcus Peters would be drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 18^th overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft.

In Peters’ rookie and sophomore NFL seasons it appeared that his past troubles were in the rearview mirror. It was remarkable - Peters learned from the mistakes that he couldn’t recall making. In 2015 he made the NFL Pro Bowl, led the NFL in interceptions for that year, and also received the NFL Defensive Rookie of The Year. In 2016, Peters again was named to the Pro Bowl and was named NFL first-team All-Pro.

However, if Peters’ Wikipedia page continued like this, I would never have embarked on this blog.

Then the year of our Lord two thousand and seventeen rolled around. This is the year that Marcus Peter found himself, or I should say, reverted to his old ways. In a game against divisional rival, Oakland Raiders, Peters instigated the team benches to be cleared due to Peters committing an unnecessary roughness penalty on Raiders’ quarterback, Derek Carr. The hit caused several Raiders to go after Peters and, subsequently, Peters was fined by the NFL for $9,115 (a remarkably low figure in terms of NFL fines are concerned). Of course, in Peters’ defense there was some ambiguity if Peters’ hit was truly “unnecessary” or if Carr was acting as a runner.  As Kansas City’s head coach, Andy Reid, said while defending Peters’, “that was a quarterback draw. Once you do that, you’re declared a runner until that whistle blows. So he was playing. I’m not gonna knock him for that.”

Let’s give Peters the benefit of the doubt on the aforementioned incident. However, what isn’t ambiguous is Peters’ second incident. In early December the Kansas City Chiefs traveled to New York in a game against the Jets. In a Jets’ two-point conversion attempt, Kansas City Chief’s cornerback, Steve Nelson, was called for defensive holding. Peters seeing that the flag was thrown near his feet decided to pick up the flag and throw it into the stands. This resulted in another penalty flag to be thrown due to Peters’ unsportsmanlike conduct. Peters than, without being told or directed by coaches or referees, headed straight to the locker room. Ironically, and as admirable as Peters’ self-imposed exile appeared, his unsportsmanlike penalty, by rule, does not warrant the player to be ejected from the game. So, in an act of embarrassment the Chiefs sent some lackey into the visitor’s locker room to retrieve their once star studded cornerback, who was presumably drawing a bath for himself.  Peters would eventually return to the game, but without any socks on. Essentially this moment of Peters’ career is equivalent to when Brittany Spears melted down and completely shaved her head.

Ironically Peters’ self-imposed exile, which although to him may have seemed like he was acting as a martyr, would result in Peters receiving even more disciplinary action from the Chiefs. Andy Reid would suspend Peters for one game without pay because “[Peters] left the field of play while the game was on.” However, and as mentioned before, Peters’ suspension was only “partially” due to his outburst in the Jets game, but also because “Peters and  an assistant coach got into an argument on the way to the airport after the game against the Jets.”

So, let’s pause, how would anyone have known that Peters would dare to engage in arguments with assistant coaches or even draw unsportsmanlike conduct penalties? He never showed those tendencies in college. Right? Of course, even if he did commit those types of antics, they only resulted in him being kicked off the team. Plus, he claimed to have taken full responsibility for his actions even though he couldn’t recall or name them. So obviously in the Chiefs’ defense, they were never put on adequate notice that Peters would conduct himself so amateurishly.

The Chiefs would eventually cut their losses and traded Peters, along with a sixth-round draft pick, to the Los Angeles Rams. In exchange, the Chiefs received a 2018 fourth round pick and a 2019 second round pick.

Peters’ career with the Rams would resemble that in which he started with the Chiefs – relatively effective (less so with the Rams than Chiefs) and quiet. This would take a turn for the worse when in a Sunday night loss to the Eagles, Peters decided to engage the crowd again, but this time he was not throwing projectiles at the fans but decided to encounter the spectators a little more directly. A video captured Peters walking from the Rams’ bench “and part of the way up a short stairway that separates the field from the seating area.”

It was unclear what exactly Peters said, but his talk looks to be more of a confrontation than a friendly conversation about the weather. Although it seems that Rams’ head coach, Sean McVay, is taking a new parenting method (sorry. I meant coaching method) to deal with Peters’ inability to control his emotions.  It isn’t through handing out discipline, but rather, according to McVay, “along the lines of a discussion.”

As for Peters he looks to have finally learned his lesson after this incident. “’Aw, naw, it wasn’t nothin’, man.’ Peters said. ‘Just makin’ a little bit of fun with the people out there that be hecklin’ and stuff. It wasn’t nothin’. Don’t take it too personal.’”

Yep, sounds like Peters’ has it all under control, just like he always has.

And that’s a Tool, folks!

GO BROWNS!