There were undoubtedly those within the Washington Redskins' organization who found Josh Norman's bull-jumping spectacle no laughing matter. Fortunately for the superstar cornerback, though, Jay Gruden apparently isn't among them.
The Redskins coach made light of Norman's intentional brush with danger on Wednesday, insisting he wasn't surprised the veteran cleared the bull because he so commonly “avoids contact.”
Jay Gruden on Josh Norman jumping over a bull: "I knew the bull wouldn't hit him…. Josh avoids contact." He added: "Just kidding Josh."
— John Keim (@john_keim) July 24, 2019
Norman traveled to Pamplona, Spain earlier this month to participate in the running of the bulls. Rather than sprint away from the charging animals like the vast majority of those brave enough to join in on the event, Norman decided to be the aggressor. Confronted with a bull in the middle of the arena, he sized it up and leapt clear over its head, narrowly avoiding bucking horns in the process.
After returning home to media hoopla, Norman downplayed the risk of his dangerous jump, suggesting that leaping over the top of a charging bull is no riskier than many acts we engage in on a daily basis.
“You can just go outside your front door and get in the car and something happens to you, an accident happens,” he said, per Scott Allen of the Washington Post. “You were safe. You can even go out there and be in practice, and be on the football field and tear an ACL. You were safe. I can go out there and run with the bulls and I do something exciting, and something that brings out the best in me in my life, in my world, and I win at that, I become victorious at that, and it’s an issue. I don’t understand it.”
Norman, a First Team All-Pro in 2015, had 64 tackles, three interceptions, and nine passes defensed last season. He has two years and nearly $23 million remaining on the five-year, $75 million deal he signed with Washington in 2016.
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