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The unveiling of a clause in Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray’s new contract that requires him to “independently” study “the material provided to him by the team” for at least four hours a week to prepare for the next game has caused quite a stir attracts attention.
One of the most common reactions is that the Cardinals would not have asked for such a clause if they had been sure that Murray would do the work without a contractual obligation to do it. Murray remained silent about the hubbub until Thursday when he called an impromptu press conference from Cardinals’ training camp.
Murray criticized the implication that he doesn’t do the necessary homework required of an NFL quarterback. He said he inserts “incomprehensible” put a lot of time into preparing for his job and joked that he is “honored” by people who believe he could have gotten to this point without it.
“To think that I can achieve anything in my career and not being a student of the game. . . it’s disrespectful. It’s almost a joke,” Murray said of ArizonaSports.com’s Kevin Zimmerman.
Darren Urban of the team’s website added Murray declined to answer a question about whether he was mad at the team for including that clause in the contract offer.
Murray’s comments Thursday are a departure from what he said on the subject last year. Murray said he’s “not one of those guys who sit there and kill themselves watching movies,” while crediting his “cognitive abilities” with allowing them to make him successful on the field. That didn’t stop him from signing a contract with the clause, and his response probably won’t stop some from believing the clause existed because the cardinals were convinced he wasn’t doing enough work for himself.