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It wasn't just the NFL's controversial handling of Ray Rice's domestic abuse: It was owners getting DUIs, owners taking racy photos and being accused of sexual misconduct, and the seeming unending string of negative revelations about his league.
It was all too much for Eric Weddle.
So he took to Twitter last Thursday and shared the following message that has since been both retweeted and favorited more than 1,700 times:
"As a husband, father and player I'm embarrassed to be associated with the NFL right now!"
Tuesday night, the San Diego Chargers All-Pro safety and former Utah star elaborated in a phone call to The Tribune. He's not anti-NFL. He just wishes those folks would represent it better.
"That's is not what [the NFL] really is," he said. "I just was frustrated and I felt embarrassed to be a part of it, so hopefully in the coming weeks, months and years, that opinion will change from the outside, because there's so many great individuals in this league that do a lot of great things — amazing things — that no one knows about because everything is so negative."
He didn't read any responses to his post, he said. News organizations tried to contact him the next day, "so obviously it got out there," but Weddle's happy to let people think what they may about him.
Besides, he had the defending Super Bowl champions to deal with.
The Chargers beat the Seahawks 31-21 on Sunday, moving back to .500 and boosting the confidence of a team that has already been beset by injuries in the early going. Philip Rivers passed for 284 yards and three touchdowns, and the Chargers offense kept Russell Wilson and Co. off the field for more than 42 minutes.
"That was crazy," Weddle said. "That happens maybe once a year." Last year, the Chargers possessed the ball for almost 39 minutes in a 27-20 upset of Denver. Weddle said he's happy anytime he gets to work, essentially, a half-day.
"You barely feel worn out after the game," he said. "I was spry and able to come home and play tackle with my son and play catch and do all those things, when I'm normally pretty wiped out."
With head coach Mike McCoy, wide receivers coach Fred Graves and now defensive tackle Tenny Palepoi, the Chargers boast a sizeable contingent of ex-Utes who feel "a special bond," Weddle said. After helping McCoy recruit Palepoi to San Diego as an undrafted free agent, he tried to ease the transition while the rookie fought to make the 53-man roster.
"It's tough to come here on the road, be by yourself, pack up your whole life and fight for your job," Weddle said. When Palepoi made it, he said, "it was huge."
"You can't be more happy or more excited for a guy, especially a guy that has a family and kids."
Weddle still keeps a keen eye on the Utes, and yearns for them to return to a bowl game. On Pac-12 Networks he watched Utah blow out Idaho State and Fresno State, and he plans to attend a game at Rice-Eccles Stadium season, but he hasn't decided if it will be Oregon or USC.
His scouting report on this year's bunch?
"We've just got to stay healthy," he said. "Travis Wilson's got to stay healthy. He's got to take care of the ball, because that's always a strength of ours. Getting Scott back and Dres, being who he is, with those special weapons outside as a vertical threat, we need to get those guys the ball."
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
Eric Weddle outtakes
On BYU and Utah taking a two-season break • "Obviously, you want to see it played every year just because it's such a great game, but what is it, five in a row for the Utes? Four in a row? It's not much of a rivalry as of today. … Hopefully they'll get it back, though, because you always want to see that played and you love playing in that game. But that's up to the hierarchy of the universities."
On the famous beard • "It's growing. It's growing still. It's still alive, and frightening people, so that's good. My wife doesn't like it too much. I don't get as many kisses as I used to, so that's definitely a drawback. ... It's definitely long and pretty fierce. It's definitely not the most attractive look I've ever had, but you only live once, right? And in my profession, they don't really care what I look like, so I might as well live it up."
On his women's jewelry line (bit.ly/ericLBD) • "How about that?" he said. A friend associated with the business asked if he could put Weddle's name on it, and he said sure. "It's funny. It's good stuff. Anything I can do to help my buddies out, might as well do it."