Indianapolis Colts linebacker Trent Cole is public enemy No. 1 of Oakland Raiders fans these days after injuring star quarterback Derek Carr over the weekend.
Carr suffered a broken right leg and is out for the next six to eight weeks, ending what was an MVP-caliber season from him. The Raiders likely won’t go very far in the playoffs without Carr, so fans are taking their frustration out on Cole.
“Yeah, there’s been a lot of nasty things said,” Cole said Thursday, via ESPN.com. “You have some people like that out there. I feel for them. That’s their team and I know how much pride the Raiders take in their team. But at the same time, there was no intent to injure Derek so there’s no need to say those harsh things.
“This is a violent game we play and things happen, and there’s no need for people to be violent, to be harassing and saying different things. What happened was a freak accident. People get hurt all the time.”
For the record, there were no flags thrown on the play and Cole doesn’t have a reputation for being a dirty player.
“Everybody knows me — I’m not a dirty player,” Cole said. “It was clear it was a clean play. I wrapped around his waist and he went down. My body was already on the ground. I feel bad for any football player that gets injured in the NFL. Everybody works so hard to be successful at this game. I think he’s a great quarterback. I wish him nothing but the best and hope he gets back to his team and gets back after it. He has an even brighter future than what he has now.”
Carr is an extreme long shot to return for the Super Bowl should the Raiders get there, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Matt McGloin will take over for Carr the rest of the way under center.
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