Michael Brockers: ‘Level up’ comment was a ‘fan booster,’ not disrespect to Jared Goff
After it was reported that the Los Angeles Rams agreed to trade Jared Goff and draft picks to the Lions for Matthew Stafford, TMZ Sports caught up with Michael Brockers at the airport. Brockers was still a member of the Rams at the time, so when he was asked if Stafford was an upgrade over Goff, he agreed.
“It’s a level up,” Brockers said.
Of course, Brockers has since been traded to the Lions, and is once again teammates with Goff. His comment seemed to backfire after the trade, but on Monday, he clarified to Detroit media members that he meant no disrespect to Goff.
He was simply trying to pump up the Rams fan base about their new quarterback, not knowing he would later be traded himself.
“It was kind of a fan booster. I didn’t know I would be dealing with free agency. Just trying to boost up the move that I felt the team was doing and trying to boost up the fan base,” Brockers said. “I don’t think it was anything against Jared. I even had to go text Jared away from the cameras just as a man-to-man. Just like, ‘Man, bro. I didn’t mean for it to go like that. I didn’t mean what I said. As a man, you just know I respect you. As a player, you took me to a Super Bowl.’ So it wasn’t like that. I saw him when I signed my deal and I talked to him and I had to apologize again because I understand that aspect and being a player, if you’re up at this level, you’re a great player. It doesn’t matter who you are. If you’re playing in the NFL, you’re a great player. I never want to comment on somebody’s career. I’m going to leave that to the media and let you guys handle that. For me as a player, I respect each and every player in this league.”
Brockers even felt so bad about his comment that he texted Goff right after to clarify his intentions. He didn’t mean what he said and was simply trying to get everyone excited about Stafford.
And when Brockers signed his new three-year deal with the Lions, he ran into Goff and apologized once again.
“After I seen it in the media and how it was just blowing up, I was like, ‘Oh my god. That’s not what I meant at all.’ Definitely right after I seen it was getting out of hand, I had to text him,” he said. “I didn’t want him to think I didn’t see it or I didn’t care about his feelings because I know he reads that. We don’t say anything about it but we definitely read it. I just wanted to come to him as a man and just let him know that I have so much respect for him and just understand that wasn’t any shot against him. it was just trying to pump up the Rams base as I was on the Rams team.”
There probably isn’t any bad blood between Brockers and Goff, who spent five years together with the Rams. Brockers is an excellent leader and as good a teammate as you’ll find in the NFL, so it’s unlikely Goff took any offense from the comment initially anyway.
