The Indianapolis Colts acknowledge that there is no longer a working relationship between Jonathan Taylor and the team, but they insist that they are making an effort to go forward with him in their plans.
Despite acknowledging that there is still a lot of fence-mending to be done, general manager Chris Ballard stated on Wednesday that the team hopes to see its All-Pro running back return to the field this season.
“I’m not going to sit here and give you some rosy picture, like, ‘Oh, everything’s OK,'” “It sucks for the Colts. It sucks for Jonathan Taylor. And it sucks for our fans. It just does. It’s where we’re at and we’ve got to work through it and we’re going to do everything we can to work through it. Relationships are repairable. They’re repairable.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET7JBSwIDzE
Jonathan Taylor conundrum which must be solved quick
Ballard addressed his current and previous decisions regarding Taylor, who the team informed in May that it would not be providing a contract extension this offseason. This came one day after denying trade proposals for Taylor that numerous sources claimed did not match the franchise’s desired criteria. Taylor is about to enter the last year of his rookie deal.
When he reported for training camp, Taylor asked for a trade, and last week he was given the go-ahead to look for a trading partner. He will now miss at least the first four games of the season as he has been placed on the physically unable to perform list.
His connection to the team, though, is still in poor shape. Ballard made an effort to diffuse the issue on Wednesday.
“I want everybody to know, Jonathan is a well-respected and a really good human being and a damn good football player,”
“I think we all know this. Things like this happen. I tell every rookie that comes in, there’s going to be a point when we disagree and it’s usually about money and it’s going to be hard. And just know that doesn’t change my care level for you. I care deeply for Jonathan Taylor. I won’t quit on the relationship.”
Asked if the team could have done more to not let things get to the stage where it is now , Ballard replied pensively
“That’s a fair question,” “I’ve thought a lot about it. … I felt I was very honest with all my discussions. I’ve thought through, what we could have done differently. I’m sure both sides would probably tell you, ‘Man, I wish I’d have done something a little bit differently.’ But the one thing I do know is it doesn’t do me any good or anybody any good to sit up and say, ‘It’s somebody else’s fault.'”
“If you ever in your life had a good friend, spouse, family member that you’ve had a disagreement with, [do you] then draw a line in the sand and say, ‘This person’s out of my life?'” “Well, no. I mean, how do you do that?”
Lets see what the future holds for Jonathan Taylor and Indianapolis Colts .
