“Never read the comments,” is one of the first rules of sane internet-ing, and Colts linebacker Trent Cole has apparently broken that rule.
Cole said he’s been hearing it from Raiders fans, after his tackle of Derek Carr resulted in a broken fibula for the quarterback, dealing a severe blow to their playoff chances.
“Yeah, there’s been a lot of nasty things said,” Cole said, via Mike Wells of ESPN.com. “You have some people like that out there. I feel for them. That’s their team and I know how much pride the Raiders take in their team. But at the same time, there was no intent to injure Derek so there’s no need to say those harsh things.
“This is a violent game we play and things happen, and there’s no need for people to be violent, to be harassing and saying different things. What happened was a freak accident. People get hurt all the time.”
Of course, the proximity to the playoffs has made Cole a villain to Raiders fans, as there was nothing particularly untoward about the hit.
“Everybody knows me, I’m not a dirty player,” Cole said. “It was clear it was a clean play. I wrapped around his waist and he went down. My body was already on the ground. I feel bad for any football player that gets injured in the NFL. Everybody works so hard to be successful at this game. I think he’s a great quarterback. I wish him nothing but the best and hope he gets back to his team and gets back after it. He has an even brighter future than what he has now.”
And Cole could probably stand to just log off for few weeks, until the Raiders fans find something else to be mad about. Like their team trying to leave town.
