Shannon Sharpe serves harsh reality check to Tetairoa McMillan over comments on not watching film -"Why would you ever say this publicly?"

Tetairoa McMillan has been attracting much criticism for an old podcast snippet/clip of him admitting to not watching football when he is off the field. Shannon Sharpe counts himself among those unhappy with the former Arizona Wildcats' all-time leader in receiving yards.

Speaking on Sunday's episode of his Nightcap podcast with former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson, the Hall of Fame former tight end said the episode reminded him of two quarterbacks.

First, it was no.1 overall pick-turned-bust Jamarcus Russell, who once lied about having watched a compilation of plays. He also mentioned Arizona Cardinals starter Kyler Murray, whose contract once notoriously contained an "independent study" clause that banned him from playing video games or watching TV shows during his film time.

(Argument begins at 5:10 in the video below):

"Everything that's thought doesn't need to be said out loud. Some things you just keep to yourself. I want you to tell me what you think them 32 NFL teams thinking. That's what I don't get. I don't get because you know how teams feel... Why would you ever say this publicly when you're about to get [drafted]?"

Sharpe's comments echo those of USA Today's Darrion Gray, who likened Tetairoa McMillan's case to that of Tennessee Titans safety Xavier Woods, who attracted criticism for saying that going "full speed for 70 plays" was impossible.

The original video can be seen below:

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Tetairoa McMillan defended over viral admission

Now, while an admission of not watching football outside of official sessions can be concerning, there are some supporters of such frankness from Tetairoa McMillan. One such person is The Big Lead's Josh Sanchez.

His first argument is that the video, having occurred in 2023, should not be taken as his current mindset - maybe he was informed about it behind closed doors by his coaches afterward and took it as motivation to change his approach to the game.

His second argument is that football players have lives outside the gridiron. He also mentions that multiple players have admitted to avoiding watching football because it provided a mental release from the stresses of Saturday (if in college) or Sunday (if in the pros) - and they were not severely excoriated for it.

As for the film aspect, that is true, but usually only of quarterbacks, who must study quickness of release and pocket awareness. For other positions like wide receiver, the team and positional group meetings serve a similar purpose.