The Arizona Cardinals lost cornerback Byron Murphy to the Minnesota Vikings. He also threw a subtle bit of shade with a side of gravy at his former team on the way out.
During his introductory presser with the Vikings, Murphy was asked about the results of the first-ever NFL Players Association survey that had players give marks for their respective teams on eight different aspects. Murphy went from the 31st-ranked Cardinals to the top-ranked Vikings, and he wasn't bashful about saying he felt the difference, via Donnie Druin of Sports Illustrated:
“I can tell since I got here. Everything here is nice, I'm not gonna lie. Everything,” Byron Murphy told reporters.
“For me to come here and see – I would say time and effort into this building – from the players to the coaches to the people upstairs – it's just a blessing to be able to come here and see that.”
One particular aspect of his presser went viral – Murphy commented on the fact that he can finally get free meals from his NFL team, which wasn't the case with the Cardinals as the only team that charged players for meals.
“I think it's free, so I'm good now. It's all-you-can-eat now,” Murphy said.
— Kirk Erickson (@CaptainKirkAZ) March 17, 2023
The Cardinals brass took their hits over the entire fiasco on Twitter, with fans calling them out for not shelling out for their players.
Are we surprised why players tend to play better when they leave?
— Solr (@SolrPrism) March 17, 2023
Bidwill is a clown owner.
— Champion (@1Champion2016) March 17, 2023
https://twitter.com/AlexInAZphx602/status/1636767583495139328
Others used it as a potential call to action for the Cardinals organization and ownership.
Michael and Monti have really missed an opportunity to respond to that. Not sure when they are next in front of a camera (maybe draft week), but they need to acknowledge there is work to be done and commit to do it. @AZCardinals @Cardschatter
— Robert Nkemdiche’s Burner (@AZCardsBurner) March 17, 2023
Mike Bidwill needs to do his part and make some changes. Upgrade facilities and faculty. Leadership starts at the top, and this is just as important!
— J31RD (J-Bird) (@Go_Birdgang) March 17, 2023
The Washington Commanders organization was the only one ranked lower in the player survey than the Cardinals. Given all their internal turmoil, ranking just above them should certainly be a wakeup call for the team to step up.
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