The Miami Dolphins are not shopping wide-receiver Kenny Stills despite his comments against owner Stephen Ross but that could change.
On Wednesday, Kenny Stills took issue with Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross in a tweet that called out the owner for hosting a fund-raising dinner for the president. He wasn’t backing down after Thursday’s game and continued to take issue with the owner.
Speaking with the media about a game he didn’t play in, Stills told them that he indeed meant that Ross was a hypocrite despite saying that it was not a political statement.
"(For somebody who’s so active in the community, especially for the Dolphins and the RISE initiative, do you kind of feel like it’s almost a betrayal or hypocritical in a sense?) – “That’s what I was saying in the tweet, was that it just didn’t really make much sense to me for what the mission statement was for RISE and what they are setting out to do. It doesn’t make sense to me for him to be trying to, or to be supporting the man’s campaign who seems to be against all of the things he is trying to work towards.” – Miami Dolphins released transcripts"
Kenny Stills has been an amazing community leader in building better relations between the community and the police force. He has taken the mantle to build better race relations and tackles the subject of racism both publicly and personally. No single player has done more to raise awareness and put into action plans to help eradicate racism. Yet his approach this time may be enough to move him from the Dolphins.
This is not to say that Stills should be released or traded. At this point, releasing him would not send a good message to anyone and trading him may not be the best idea either but Stills’ words are giving the Dolphins reason to at least consider it.
Brian Flores spoke with the media after the game and addressed the issue saying only that he spoke with Stills and asked him why he didn’t take the issue up directly with the owner one on one instead of on social media. It is a very good point by the teams new head coach. Had he done so, a lot of distraction would have been avoided.
Stephen Ross’ RISE initiative has been heralded in the NFL community and media for being a decisive endeavor to help bring social injustice to an end and Ross has been at the forefront through RISE. Stills, however, believes that Ross’ RISE isn’t something that he is willing to support.
"(Will you continue to be involved with the RISE initiative after this?) – “I’ve tried to distance myself from the RISE initiative, just based off of the gut feeling that I’ve had. I’ve done little things here and there, but I wasn’t included in the Super Bowl thing that they did, and it’s just something that I felt in my gut from the beginning, and so I tried to distance myself from RISE. I respect the work that they’ve done; but it’s just the things aren’t aligning for me, so I try to stay away from it.”"
Stills continued to stand by his remarks, taking ownership as he should.
"(Do you view Mr. Ross as an ally still given what you’re trying to do?) – “I think he’s trying to be, but I don’t believe that you can play both sides.”(Have you heard from the organization about your tweet?) – “It’s all about just staying focused and making sure that I perform on the field.”(Did you get any feedback from the organization?) – “Yeah, it’s just all about making sure that I perform.”(Do you want to continue to be a part of this organization?) – “Yeah. The tweet doesn’t put me against Mr. Ross. I’m just trying to inform him that the two things don’t align. I don’t think it’s that complicated. I don’t have any hard feelings toward him. There’s no beef. It’s just, hey, these two things don’t align and maybe somebody else hasn’t told you, but I’m letting you know. It’s important to me that the work that we’re doing isn’t just lip service. It’s real. Everything that I do has been real from the very beginning, and it’s going to continue to be that way. So, I just wanted to let him know that’s where I’m coming from and how I feel.”"
Stills says he wants to be a part of the team and frankly, I think he will be. His agenda isn’t a personal one, it is a national one as it relates to racism. It’s everyone’s wish to see this end but is the distraction too much? It won’t simply go away or get swept under a rug. Stills has not talked to Stephen Ross and that too is a problem. He took an exception with the team’s owner and has not bothered to reach out to him to discuss it. Should Stills reach out or should Ross reach out to him? It’s a very thin line that many will debate.
When asked if Stills thought about calling Ross before he made the comments he said he did not.
"“No. We’ve had plenty of private conversations, and through his statement you see his loyalty to his friend and I understand and respect that; but the two things don’t align when it comes to the non-profit and then holding this fundraiser for that man.”"
Now the question of his future in Miami will come into play. Some believe that he should be traded or released while many others believe that he was right in taking issue on social media about the questions and concerns that he has. But Brian Flores really nailed it when he asked why he didn’t take it up directly.
This is where a lot of debate over Stills’ future comes in. Had he done this behind the scenes, no one would likely know that he had an issue but at the same time, Stills would be surrendering to the very thing that he is trying to avoid, open public conversation to bring light to a dark subject. Even so, he also has a responsibility to his teammates, his coach, and yes the organization so in that regard, there could have been a better way for him to approach the subject internally.
While Stills says he wants to remain with the Miami Dolphins, the question of whether he should be has been broached on the same social media platform that he made his remarks. As one person said, if Stills is taking issue with Ross’ political thoughts, and in turn calling him a hypocrite, is Stills not also a hypocrite for taking money to play football from that same person? In a way, yes, he is a hypocrite as well.
More from Dolphins News
- Tua Tagovailoa practicing with teammates is everything a leader does
- 4 offensive tackles Miami Dolphins could draft at 51
- Miami Dolphins don’t need CB help but these 5 could be available at 51
- 4 players that could replace Wilkins if Miami Dolphins don’t re-sign him
- Miami Dolphins have a starting point with Wilkins after Simmons deal
Financially, the Dolphins would take a hit $4.7million if they released him. They would save $5 million in cap space that really isn’t needed. If they were able to trade him, the dead money hit this year would be below $2 million and save $8 million.
Next year Stills’ dead money hit would be less than $2 million with a cap savings of $7 million.
No one is saying that Stills will or should be traded/released but given the divide and the current distraction, anything is on the table. The problem for the Dolphins is that it would be a PR nightmare to move on after this. The only out would be for Stills to ask for a trade or release. H should honestly. If Stills believes that his owner is a hypocrite than he needs to think tha he may be as well.
The issue was talked about last night by Tom Garfinkel on the air when he joined the broadcast booth for a short time. Garfinkel stood up for Stephen Ross and praised him for his work in the community, specifically through RISE.
This is a tough subject to talk about but if there is a positive in any of this it is that Stills is making us talk about it. And to some degree that is a positive regardless of the avenue taken to get the discussions started.
Stills maintains that his comments were not bred of a political agenda but clearly that is not the case considering the person involved. That too is fine, he has every right to his opinion and to talk about it. There just may have been a better way to address his concerns but his comments about RISE does bring up more concerns that he has touched upon and that too needs to be addressed, internally with the team and Stephen Ross.
As Brian Flores said,
"I understand him wanting to be a voice for people who don’t have a voice. I respect that. My conversation with Kenny, I asked him why he didn’t talk to the owner, why he didn’t talk to Steve (Ross) first before putting something out. And I think that’s something that we have to do more of. There’s got to be more communication, more conversation, more communication if we want to really make change. And I wish he would have done that. I told him that. But yeah, I talked to Kenny.”"