Lito Sheppard had his conference call today. Here are some of the highlights:
On how he feels about being in New York...
It is great. It gives me a chance to get back on the football field and continue to be the great player I tried to be in Philadelphia. It is just like closing one chapter in my book and starting a new one.
On the root of his unhappiness in Philadelphia...
I am not going to get into it too much. Obviously, we saw things a little different and one thing led to another. The best thing for me, if I wanted to continue to play football, was to go elsewhere. That is what we decided on and that is in the past now.
On if it is odd for a player with his resume to be traded...
I think all of that in the near future will speak for itself. We all know how business can get involved. Leaving it at that, I am happy to be a part of the Jets and play football again.
On being traded to the New York Jets...
Change is not always bad, sometimes change can rejuvenate a player. You look around the league, good guys get traded all the time, so it's part of the game and I think you have to realize that. If a player is not completely happy it can affect his play, so the best thing for the player and organization to get the most out of both is to go elsewhere. In most cases, that happens and players continue to have a good career.
This situation is very similar to that of Kris Jenkins a year ago. They both had All Pro talent but soured and arguably quit on their old teams. Sheppard views the trade as a fresh start. Disgruntled players typically respond well to new surroundings. They are relieved to get out of a bad situation and want to show the world their old team was the problem, not them. Even Terrell Owens was a model citizen for one season in Philadelphia. Now that Sheppard is in a good mental state, he should have a great first season in New York provided he can shake the injury bug that has dogged him during his career.
For a full transcript, click here.