Eric Winston Comments Cause Controversy, KC Right Tackle Says He Stands By Criticism Of Fans

Kansas City Chiefs star Eric Winston harsh comments about bloodthirsty fans did not sit well with some — and while he has come in for some flak after making the comments, Winston stands by what he said.

Eric Winston’s comments seem understandable in general, as the right tackle was taken aback by what he described as an unseemly fan reaction to the injury of QB Matt Cassel.

Originally, Eric Winston’s comments were aimed at fans in general, and the KC Chiefs right tackle said:

“We are athletes, OK? We are athletes. We are not gladiators. This is not the Roman Coliseum … It’s 100 percent sickening. If he’s not the best quarterback, he’s not the best quarterback, and that’s OK. But he’s a person. And he got knocked out in a game and we’ve got 70,000 people cheering that he got knocked out.”

Cassel was injured during a play involving the Baltimore Ravens’ Haloti Ngata in the fourth quarter of the game. The Ravens ultimately beat the Chiefs, but Ngata agreed with Eric Winston’s comments after Cassel’s injury — Ngata said:

“For them to cheer for him being hurt … that’s just not cool.”

Addressing his comments after the fact, Eric Winston remarked:

“I meant what I said … I didn’t say it off the cuff … I look back on it, and I’m happy with what I said … I didn’t mean all 70,000 were cheering … It might have been 7,000. It might have been 700. It’s still too many.”

Do you agree with Eric Winston’s comments, and think it is distasteful to cheer on an injury?