Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey made plenty of news with a pair of offseason print interviews that included strong opinions regarding a variety of players.
This week, Ramsey made the rounds on behalf of Old Spice for radio/TV spots. Appearing on #PFTPM, Ramsey was asked as to the headline-creating GQ and ESPN The Magazine interviews whether he’d do anything differently.
“Nah, I wouldn’t,” Ramsey said. “I’m me, unapologetically. The only thing I would say is sometimes when things are written and you can’t hear how it is said or in the context that it’s said or the tone that it’s said, then it can be taken differently than it was originally intended to be taken. But, no, I’m me unapologetically.”
Ramsey was asked for an example of something that was taken differently than it was originally intended to be taken.
“Most things, dude, most of it,” Ramsey said. “But that’s OK, it is what it is.”
Ramsey acknowledged that he learned a valuable from the experience, which often entails the subject of the interview getting very comfortable (perhaps too comfortable) and saying things that can and will be used against him.
“Just have to be careful in times like that,” Ramsey said.
It’s a lesson that Ramsey learned first hand; other players who haven’t been through this experience can learn from it, too. Long-form print interviews can be very dangerous. Plenty of writers who do them know how to create an atmosphere that is conducive to candid, blunt comments that the subject of the interview would never make in a more controlled setting. Sometimes, a seemingly innocent beer or two (or more) will loosen the tongue.
And then the interview comes out, the writer gets applauded, and the subject of the interview has to deal with the fallout.
Ramsey handled it well, owning his words and taking the heat. Others, if they understand what happened to Ramsey, will at least appreciate the connection between a loose, fun, relaxed exchange and unambiguous words reduced to black and white that result in a bunch of people being pissed off.