A scary situation…that could have been much worse.
Yesterday afternoon the Tennessee Titans announced that they had released defensive lineman Jordan Elliott, who signed a two year, $8-million contract with the team back in March.
Elliott was a healthy scratch in this past weekend’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, which happened to be the team’s first win of the season. And after he was released, it quickly became clear why the team cut him.
As first reported by A to Z Sports, the incident occurred last Thursday when Elliott became frustrated with teammate and Titans offensive lineman JC Latham during practice. Afterwards, Elliott was seen storming out of the locker room, ultimately going to his vehicle in the team’s parking garage next to the practice facility to retrieve a firearm.
The situation was reportedly de-escalated by teammate and fellow defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers, and Nashville police say no reports were filed and their department wasn’t contacted by the team about the incident.
Well obviously it’s a serious situation and the Titans didn’t have a choice but to let Elliott go, and today the team’s head coach Robert Saleh addressed the incident during his media availability.
Saleh took the opportunity to stand up for his former player, while acknowledging the seriousness of the incident:
“I think the organization and the NFL did an outstanding job with regards to pausing, which I think everyone needs to do in this situation, is pause with regards to the news that Jordan had a gun.
And the reason why I think the NFL and the organization did an outstanding job is because this is a man who is a father, a great husband, he’s never committed a crime in his entire life.
And he pulled a gun in the parking lot. And the first question that I think everyone forgets to ask is, why would a great man, a great father, a man who shows up on time every day, works his a– off every day, contributes the way he’s supposed to contribute, is well liked in the locker room, why did he go off the rails and grab a gun?”
Now, Saleh didn’t come out and say it, but he’s obviously hinting that Elliott may be suffering from CTE, and he pointed to the recent suicides of former NFL players Jordan Devey and Alphonso Smith Jr. within the past year as evidence that players are often struggling with their mental health:
“To me, those are small signs of a cry of help if you in terms of obviously there’s something greater happening. And I thought the team and the NFL did an outstanding job with regards to pausing and asking those questions and checking every single box with regards to getting him the help that he needs.
In the last year, the NFL has lost two outstanding young men to to taking their own lives because they may not have had help. They may have been crying for help and everyone ignored it.”
The coach didn’t go so far as to saying that’s what Elliott was planning on doing, but he says it’s clear that the player needs help rather than to be kicked when he’s down:
“I’m not saying that’s where he was. I’m not going to speak on that. But these kids go through a lot. A lot. And I will stand on the table for Jordan’s character.”
Of course the team didn’t have much of a choice when it came to releasing Elliott, because NFL policy prohibits guns on any team property, including parking garages. But he said that this mistake shouldn’t stop other teams from signing him in the future:
“Unfortunately, rules are rules with regards to guns on property. And and sometimes it’s far greater than the knee-jerk reaction of kicking somebody and kicking somebody when they’re down.
My message to 31 other teams would be, if you need a hell of a run stopping D-tackle, that can help you on a playoff run, give me a call. I’ll tell you everything you need to know about him. He’s a good man. Made a terrible – had a terrible lapse in judgment, that I recognized as a call for help more than a criminal act.”
The NFL has said that they’re currently investigating the incident, so it’s not clear whether Elliott will face discipline from the league before another team is able to sign him – or whether it’s a risk any team is even willing to take at this point. But based on the situation and Saleh’s comments, it’s clear that Elliott needs help before he steps back on the field or into the locker room.
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988, or by chatting online at 988lifeline.org.
