Nick Eatman - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
December 11, 2009 4:00 PM
IRVING, Texas - Never one to hold a press conference or even engage in light chatting with reporters, Flozell Adams had to get something off his chest on Friday.
The Cowboys' left tackle broke his silence this week, trying to set the record straight on not only what happened in last Sunday's game with the Giants that resulted in a $50,000 fine, but this growing perception that Adams is now a dirty player.
"A lot of people, reporters and some coaches have been around long before me and in 12 years and over 100-something games and they start calling me a dirty player now," Adams said in an exclusive interview Friday, just outside the team's locker room. "I'm not doing anything different than I've always done. They can be the judge of whatever they want to say, but I know people in here - teammates, coaches and family - they know I'm not like that. I wouldn't do anything deliberately to hurt another player or take anyone out.
"At my position, I want to give some guys a few bumps here and there. That's how you play. But I'm not a dirty player. I'm not like that because I wouldn't want anything like that to happen to me."
Adams chose not to comment specifically about the fine since he is still deciding on the appeal process. But this is his fourth fine of the season, all stemming from isolated incidents that resulted in unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
When asked about the sudden increase in fines this year, Adams had no logical answer.
"I don't know. I don't know what the deal is," Adams said. "I've never had penalties like that. Not unsportsmanlike penalties, I've never really had those. Go back and look through the years. When is the last time I've had an unsportsmanlike penalty before this year - maybe like eight or nine years ago. I don't know if you're looking at me differently, but I think people really need to go back and look at the tapes and look at the books before they call me a dirty player."
Giants defensive end Justin Tuck obviously has the biggest issue with Adams, considering he's been on the receiving end of two of the four plays that resulted in a fine, including Sunday's incident just before halftime.
Adams was flagged for pushing Tuck down from behind on the final play of the second quarter. The incident ignited a brawl on the sideline with several Giants players, including defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, attacking Adams.
On Friday, Adams told his side of the story regarding Sunday's halftime incident.
"The play was still going. At first, honestly - God as my witness - I did not know that was Tuck. I'm going down the field, when you kick a field goal, the other team can return it. As we're blocking, we've got to stop these guys first. After he kicked it, we know it could be returned, so we're running down the field. Now we immediately become defensive players.
So I'm running down the field. I'm running toward the side, I see (Hixon) running. So I'm running and I see a blue jersey, which just happens to be Tuck - God as my witness - I don't even know it's him. Usually when you see a guy like that, they're going to turn around and try to jack you up.
So I see him, I hit him before he hits me. It's still legal, it was a legal play because none of us heard the whistle. If you look at the tape, the ref isn't waving his hand to blow the ball dead until after the play. If you see our tapes, after I hit Tuck, I run down the field a few more steps and then the ref starts to wave his hands. I don't know what the ref under the goal post did, but nobody over by us (blew the play dead).
After I hit Tuck, I'm coming down the field and I see No. 94 coming at me. So, I mean, anyone in the whole entire world who sees someone coming after them is going to fight back. He hit me, I hit him. We both had our hands in the face mask. Next thing I know, the whole Giants sideline is right there."
After the game, Tuck called Adams a "dirtbag" and a "coward." Earlier this year, Tuck called Adams "Bush League" for a tripping penalty that he said resulted in a lingering shoulder injury.
Adams had no interest in trading jabs with Tuck, someone he said he respects on the field.
"He has his opinions of what he wants to say," Adams said of Tuck. "The media made a big deal of the (Sept. 20 incident). That was just a play. Anybody gets hurt. That was a play. I guess he wants to blame me for getting hurt.
"But Tuck is a good player. I don't have a problem with him. I know he's good. Our line knows he's good. The team playing Tuck next week knows he's a good player. That's no secret. It's a tough challenge every time against him. But I have nothing against him. He was just in my way. If it was 91, 72, 58, whoever, I'm trying to make a play."
And despite all the attention, Adams said he's going to continue to make plays. Although he seems aware the league is watching every move he makes, Adams said he can't afford to change his approach.
"I can't be less aggressive. I have to go play," Adams said. "I can't be worried about anyone watching me. I've got to block (Shawne) Merriman this week. He's not worried about me. He's not going to say, 'Hey Flozell, I won't get your quarterback.' I've got to do what I do. I know I'm not a dirty player, but I have to go out and play the way I've always played it."