The 2023 NFL Draft is in the rearview, and while the Arizona Cardinals nailed it in immediate hindsight, they still weren’t immune to criticism.
Sooner or later, you have to (jokingly) ask yourself: What did the Arizona Cardinals ever do to PFT’s Mike Floriio? First, he had strong words for the front office and head coach Jonathan Gannon about attending a statue unveiling the weekend before the draft. Something he received immense criticism for across the Red Sea.
Ossenfort and Gannon are seeking to change what could be an overly toxic culture in the desert, so was it really a crime to go out to Norman, Oklahoma for an evening to be there for your franchise quarterback as the university unveiled his statue? A plethora of Cardinals also made the trip, so score one for a team, and culture building, activity.
So what’s going on now? Gannon again landed in hot water with Florio for simply not talking to the media during or following the NFL Draft. Per ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss, it’s the first time he’d seen this during his time covering the NFL Draft.
Was the Arizona Cardinals coach wrong to speak with the media?
We honestly don’t know why Gannon refused to speak with reporters, but Florio made a few theories, each of which hold little (if any) water. He cited the possibility that Gannon didn’t want to talk about the tampering (which Monti Ossenfort addressed, by the way).
Yeah, that could be the case, but it's not like there's any real evience backing that. At least for the moment.
Florio also touched on the possibility Gannon chose not to talk thanks to his claims regarding the Philadelphia media. But if you watched that interview when Gannon was answering questions before the Cardinals uniform unveiling, it was a rather lighthearted atmosphere, and to be frank, Gannon didn’t sound accusatory in the slightest. You can even say he described it in a joking manner.
Not that I’m defending Gannon’s comments as they were not, to my knowledge, accurate; I’m just saying the overall atmosphere of the pre-unveiling wasn’t necessarily a finger pointing event.
The point? We don’t know why Gannon didn’t talk to the media over the weekend, but Florio’s piece seems to be nothing more than trying to reignite a fire that was quickly stamped out last week after he took heat for what he said regarding Kyler’s statue unveiling.
I also want to stress that this is not an attack against Florio, who has developed quite the successful resume. Instead, it’s a mere critique of his latest pieces regarding the Arizona Cardinals that I just happen to disagree with.
Source: Jonathan Gannon declines to meet with reporters during the 2023 draft by Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk.com