Karlos Dansby: Darnell Dockett's remarks 'disrespectful' to Browns
Karlos Dansby left the Cardinals to take a $24 million deal with the Browns. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Karlos Dansby's decision to leave the Cardinals and sign with the Browns in March drew some raised eyebrows and at least one critique from a high-profile former teammate.
While Dansby called himself a "visionary" for projecting a vastly improved Browns team in 2014 and beyond, Cardinals defensive lineman Darnell Dockett last week accused Dansby of chasing "the money" rather than "the ring."
Dansby, 33, was lured from Phoenix to Cleveland by a four-year, $24 million deal ($14 million guaranteed) after posting career numbers with 112 solo tackles and four interceptions -- two returned for touchdowns. Dansby previously had returned to the Cardinals after another free-agent exit to the Dolphins in 2010.
When asked Wednesday about Dockett's comments, Dansby told reporters who he knew what he was doing in signing with the Browns.
As reported by Tom Reed of Cleveland.com:
“I’m a visionary, I’m a leader,” he said. “That’s what a leader is, a leader is a visionary that has a poor development of fear and no concept of the odds that are against him. That’s me, that’s what I am.
“It was very disrespectful to my teammates and that’s the only reason I’m going to somewhat respond to it,” he told Northeast Ohio Media Group. “It’s disrespectful to my teammates, it’s disrespectful to this organization and all the history it has here.
“It pissed me off big time.”
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Dockett's original comments pinpointed Dansby for what he thought to be a questionable decision, while also attempting to distance himself from criticism of the city of Cleveland and the Browns.
"I personally feel like he chased the money versus chasing a ring," Dockett said last week. "No knock towards Cleveland -- I don't want people to try to think I'm saying Cleveland doesn't have a chance; everybody has a chance -- but I just felt like it was made for him to be here."
