Robert Saleh's defense of Jordan Elliott has left some NFL observers furious. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith understood why the Tennessee Titans head coach wanted people to consider what his former player might be going through.
Smith also wanted attention drawn to John Franklin-Myers, whose intervention helped prevent an alarming situation from escalating.
The Titans released Elliott on Oct. 20 after an incident at their facility five days earlier. Elliott reportedly went to his vehicle to retrieve a gun following a practice altercation with JC Latham. Franklin-Myers helped calm him down, and nobody was injured.
Saleh subsequently defended Elliott's character and encouraged other teams to consider signing him.
"He had a terrible lapse in judgment that I recognize as a call for help more than a criminal act," Saleh said. He also offered to speak with other teams about signing Elliott, emphasizing his belief in the defensive tackle's character.
"I will stand on the table for Jordan's character," Saleh said, adding that he's a "great man."
His response brought further criticism of his handling of Elliott's situation . Smith acknowledged Saleh's sensitivity toward Elliott and his emphasis on the incident being a call for help.
"And so the level of sensitivity that I listened to Robert Saleh just express about Jordan Elliott, this seeming fixation on leaning on his character as a man and who he has been and how, in his eyes, the need to emphasize that it's a call for help. How can you not understand it?" Smith said .
"You get into something with practice and your default position is to go to your car and to get your gun to come back to confront the offensive lineman that was competing against you. What do you say when something like that happens? What are you to think?"
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Smith's caption warned, "THIS COULD HAVE ENDED IN TRAGEDY!" while also asking if the NFL is doing enough to address CTE and mental health. His remarks also emphasized how little outsiders may know about someone's personal circumstances.
"You never know what a particular human being is going through," Smith said in the same video.
He reserved his strongest praise for the teammate who intervened.
"You don't throw these words around too easily, too often. But if there is a hero in all of this, it is him," Smith said of Franklin-Myers.
Other observers were considerably less receptive to Saleh's explanation.
"Have said it many times in the past and never more obvious than right here. Robert Saleh is too soft. Too nice… Insanity," Glenn Naughton wrote .
One reaction acknowledged what Saleh might have been trying to accomplish while questioning his endorsement.
"The NFL PR Machine trying to make this a heartwarming story is insane to me. I believe Saleh is saying this to help Elliott's mental state by giving him hope for another chance. Would you hire the guy who just ran to his car for a gun during the work day to YOUR company?" one user wrote .
Joe Blewett challenged the description of Elliott's actions.
"HE WAS GOING TO GET A [expletive] GUN," Blewett wrote . "So if he shot him? AH JUST A LAPSE IN JUDGEMENT."
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"This is ludicrous. He should be suspended by the NFL until he proves he is competent," another user added .
The NFL has confirmed that the matter is under review.
Saleh's endorsement raised questions about another football opportunity for Elliott. Smith's video brought the discussion back to the person who stepped into a dangerous situation. Franklin-Myers' intervention gave everyone involved the chance to have that conversation.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
