Philip Rivers comments on Melvin Gordon need clarification

Fans, players, and media members are responding to a recent article quoting Philip Rivers, and it hasn’t been all positive.

Philip Rivers has caught some heat from fans and players alike for his recent comments surrounding Melvin Gordon and his contract situation, put together in a an article from Pro Football Talk detailing Rivers’ belief that Gordon can be replaced by the trio of backs behind him. The quote elicited responses from many around the NFL, including safety Tyrann Mathieu and Gordon himself. However, it’s possible his words may have been taken out of context.

Here’s the full quote from the original article from the Los Angeles Times:

They’re going to get a lot of work,” said quarterback Philip Rivers, entering his 15th year with the franchise, his 13th as the starting quarterback. “It certainly is a deep position for us, and those guys all love to play and work hard. We love Melvin, but we’re going to go with what we’ve got. It’s a pretty dang good group. -Matt Szabo

Dismissing a player he’s worked with for several years in favor of a trio of young running backs does not seem on par with how Rivers normally operates. This is the same quarterback who gives player praise as often as possible, even tearing up in a post-game interview showering praise onto his offensive line despite them getting him killed all season.

DAMN. https://t.co/nDYsaBqK4N

— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) July 26, 2019

This kind of headline does not seem to portray the kind of person No. 17 is, nor does it appear to be an accurate representation of what Rivers was trying to convey. Though difficult to determine exactly what he meant just through words in an article, it’s likely this was more a way for Rivers to provide a vote of confidence for the men that are there during training camp.