Los Angeles Rams

NFL Rumors: Los Angeles Rams Players Sabotaged Jeff Fisher

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

According to one former NFL defensive end and a current ESPN talking head, the Los Angeles Rams players sabotaged Jeff Fisher.

Former NFL defensive end Marcellus Wiley is saying Los Angeles Rams players sabotaged former head coach Jeff Fisher.

Wiley was speaking on ESPN’s SportsNation and shared some information he received about the real reason Rams players have played so poorly this season.

According to Wiley, Fisher’s own players sabotaged him in order to avoid a clause in his contract kicking in:

There was a clause in [Fisher’s contract extension], reportedly, that said if he wins one more game that even if he were fired [the Rams] would have to pay him. And they said the players found this out and decided to act passively-aggressively and not play for him. And then [the firing] doubled down on the…this doubled down on that same thing. “Let’s not let you win that fifth game.”

Why the Sabotage Angle Doesn’t Hold Up

Of course, there is no evidence to support this claim other than the Rams stinking it up this season. We tend to believe that was more a result of a poorly constructed roster with a bad coach rather than sabotage.

From what we’ve read, Fisher was a player’s coach and the response from his former players to his firing shows that. Just look at what quarterback Jared Goff had to say, per ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez:

“I think I speak for the whole team when I say he was very well-liked and very giving,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “I mean, he treated us the right way. He treated us the way we’re supposed to be treated, and in return, we didn’t do enough for him. And that’s really what it comes down to.”

Even Rams offensive lineman Rodger Saffold pointed out Fisher was a player’s coach after the Week 14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons:

@RamblinFan @iiKidxx @JDSA88 @tylerwilley15 I will say this tho Fish is a true players coach and it’s all the younger players know

— Rodger Saffold (@Rodger_Saffold) December 12, 2016

Despite fans hatred for Fisher, he doesn’t seem like the kind of coach players want to screw over.

Not to mention, to assume that players would sabotage their coach and make themselves look bad borders on preposterous. That’s especially true when there are Rams players bound for free agency after this season.

We take Wiley’s claim with a grain of salt because it is the typical nonsense that comes from ESPN talking heads nowadays. Chalk this one up to just another rumor in the mill.