Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Chris Baker was the focal point of a heated locker room argument following Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers.
According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Baker’s seemingly flippant response to a costly offsides penalty incurred just prior to Carolina’s game-winning touchdown didn’t sit well with teammates.
Per the report, Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David was heard yelling at quarterback Jameis Winston on the team’s post-game radio show in an attempt to stop Winston from confronting Baker. Linebacker Kwon Alexander also lobbed expletives toward Baker before David bailed on an interview to address the issue.
Baker jumped offsides on a fourth-and-3 from the Buccaneers 5-yard line. After the penalty was assessed half the distance to the goal line, it was only a fourth-and-1 from the 3-yard line the Panthers needed to convert. Despite a fumbled snap, Cam Newton still scored to give the Panthers the victory.
Baker smiling afterward and apparently not seeming too distraught about the penalty rubbed several teammates the wrong way.
He signed a three-year, $16 million contract with the team last offseason, but if he’s angering teammates to the point they are questioning his motivation and commitment to them it may be a short-lived stay in Tampa.
