Deshaun Watson reportedly wants out in Houston, but Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre disagrees with the way he’s going about it. In fact, Favre said “we make too much money to voice an opinion.”
49ers defensive lineman Solomon Thomas disagrees.
“I hold a lot of respect for Brett Favre and his career and what he’s been through, [but] that comment, I don’t really respect that as much,” Thomas told JR SportBrief. “We’re past the age of ‘Shut up and play.’ We have a say. We’re athletes. We’re putting our bodies and our lives on the line for this game, so if we have the power and if we have the entitlement and Deshaun wants to go play somewhere else, he has a right to do that. He has a right to voice his opinion. He does not have to just sit down and shut up and play.”
Favre, it is worth noting, was, well, a little high-maintenance toward the end of his career. He played 16 seasons in Green Bay, had a dramatic breakup with the Packers, played one year for the Jets and two for the Vikings before calling it a career.
“It’s a new age,” Thomas said. “It’s a hard concept for a lot of the old heads because they played in an age where they just had to play and they didn’t have a choice. But we’re giving athletes a voice. We’re giving them an avenue. Having someone like Deshaun do that gives other athletes an option to do that as well.”
And no, arguing that Watson must remain silent and toe the company line simply because he signed a contract does not hold water.
“They have the option to trade us any time, cut us any time, move us around like we’re a pawn piece, so why don’t we have the option as well?” Thomas asked. “If he has the power and he’s not happy where he’s at and he doesn’t feel respected or valued, why does he not have the option? He’s a top quarterback in the NFL, a young player – he hasn’t even reached his prime yet. Why doesn’t he have a say for his career? Why does he have to sit back and wait for whatever is next?”