For all of the players who have been traded to or signed with new teams since the start of the new league year, only one of them has managed to see their deal fall apart at the last minute. The Baltimore Ravens’ sudden withdrawal from their trade agreement with the Las Vegas Raiders left both fans and NFL personnel alike with a bundle of mixed feelings. But according to the five-time Pro Bowler himself, it may just be a sign that he always meant to be a Raider.
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During the latest episode of his self-titled podcast, Crosby provided fans with his own recollection of events, and if his account is at all accurate, then it’s safe to say that not even he knows what truly went wrong.
“I went there. I did my thing, had my MRIs… I didn’t get to see the GM at all. I thought I was going to see him when I first got there. I didn’t see him for five hours,” he started.
“I don’t know why. I’m not going to speculate… “I dap [Jesse Minter] up, and you could just tell that the energy was a little bit off… I go in the room, they sit me down on the couch, and he’s like, ‘Man, I don’t know how to say this but one of our doctors has concerns with the results with your knee.’“
Crosby admitted that he was initially concerned about the implications of his personal health, and that the fear of losing more time to yet another surgery felt overwhelming. Thankfully, his personal doctor and world-renowned orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, was able to reassure him. “Maxx, don’t listen to any of that sh*t. Your knee is great, you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be, or even ahead of schedule,” he told Crosby.
“Everyone’s got their own conspiracy theory,” the pass rusher explained. “But no one will really ever admit, on either side, what the real truth is or what happened.”
While it is frustrating to accept that we will likely never know exactly what or who was to blame for the entire ordeal, Crosby also suggested that it ultimately doesn’t matter. “I’m where I’m supposed to be,” he asserted. “I know that, and I’ll just say that.”
For better or worse, Crosby will now turn his attention back towards preparing for an eighth consecutive season with the Raiders. And if this debacle has, in any type of way, created a chip on his shoulder, then it may just be his most productive one yet.
