Risner: “The crazy thing that nobody writes about is that 2 minutes later, Brett and I hugged and talked about it for like a minute because we’re brothers.”
ENGLEWOOD, COLO. “Guess who had lunch together Monday morning at the Broncos team cafeteria?”
This after they texted each other on Sunday night. Are we good? Of course we are good.
Now, did I handle the situation well? Risner said Monday in an interview with 9NEWS. “Should I have taken Brett away from me? No, I shouldn’t have. But the emotions were running high. We both try to do what’s best for our teammates. I try to be there for my O-Line and Brett are trying to be there for the quarterback and it’s just an emotional moment.
“I was surprised how everyone ran with the way we are against each other and we lost the team. Brett and I, the crazy thing nobody writes about is, 2 minutes after Brett and I hugged and talked about it for about a minute because we’re brothers and we’ve both talked since then we understand that we’re competitors and we were frustrated and we want to be better .it’s because we care and want to be better.
“It’s so hard it’s turned into this thing losing the locker room and we don’t care. No, Brett and I are in this conversation because we both care so much. Minutes after we we’re hugged, we push the air out and we move and we roll. We respect each other so much.”
It was late in the third quarter on Christmas Sunday, the Broncos were down 34-6 and quarterback Russell Wilson, who had already thrown three interceptions by then, had been sucked in back-to-back plays for a three and an out. Bah joke. Back on the sidelines after a punt, Rypien, the backup quarterback, came to the defense of his beleaguered, battered and beleaguered fellow quarterback. Rypien moved to where the attack was gathering and said something that upset Risner.
Rypien said something about the offensive line having to help Wilson after he was knocked down. Risner later admitted that he misheard Rypien, believing the quarterback said something like “stop dropping the sacks” instead.
Risner got angry, and he and Rypien had a heated exchange on camera as a fan’s cellphone grabbed Risner using his left hand to push Rypien away. That brought in running back Latavius Murray, who stopped Risner with a one-handed push.
At that point, Risner calmed down, as Cam Fleming stepped in to help hold off his fellow blocker while rookie Montrell Washington got in front of Rypien.
“I’m not mad that (the video) surfaced,” Risner said. “Because I have nothing to hide. I’m not going to hide the frustration on the sidelines when we lose 51-14. This football is not for the soft. It’s a tough sport. You work very hard to succeed and If you don’t, frustrations will erupt. What would you think if everyone sat on the sidelines and didn’t care? To me, it’s us who care. That was unacceptable. .”
The truth is that verbal arguments between teammates happen more often than people realize. They also occur in good teams. The teams that win the match. The push was a little extreme but, as Risner suggested, the makeup hugs didn’t have the same game. What happened was that the dust was seen as a symptom of everything that’s wrong with the Broncos. They’re 4-11 partly because, you see, they’re not together. Add outside linebacker Randy Gregory losing his temper with two unsportsmanlike penalties and a postgame hay against an opponent and the Risner-Rypien trade manifested in a narrative, this is an unruly team and without a leader.
And while so many unfortunate events and losses conspired to cause team owner Greg Penner to fire head coach Nathaniel Hackett on Monday morning, Risner felt bad for being involved in an incident that was misinterpreted as dissension among the troops.
“We sat down and had breakfast today,” Risner said of Rypien. “I have no problem taking it on my shoulders that I shouldn’t have taken Brett away from me. I shouldn’t have gotten mad. I don’t care about the situation, I know I have to be a better version of myself I love the team I love the coaches I love the organization I’ve been here four years I grew up here (at Wiggins) I love this place And that’s why this is happening because I care so much and guess what? a lot too. What I thought when I woke up today was that yeah I wish this hadn’t happened. Ryp even told me that I knew this wouldn’t happen we just wouldn’t have talked I said yes but it happened because we both care It’s just sad that they captured Brett and I in our fight, but they did not capture us by reconciling us.
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