Curtis Martin: 'I Don't Love the Game...I'm Not a Football Fan' Posted Feb 28th 2007 9:01AM by Michael David Smith Filed under: Jets, AFC East As his retirement becomes official, Jets running back Curtis Martin is taking something of a victory lap, picking up awards and giving interviews. His interview on NFL Network last night was, I thought, fascinating in the way that it showed that even though Martin was a dedicated, hard-working player, he always saw football as a job, not a passion. When asked whether he'd ever become a coach, Martin said, "I don't love the game enough, as far as the Xs and Os go, to get involved in that way." When asked whether he had seen Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson, Martin said he hadn't seen any college players because he doesn't watch football. "I'm not a football fan," he said. "I rarely watch the game. I've only watched two Super Bowl from beginning to end." As fans, I think we tend to assume that football is at least as important to the players on the field as it is to us, but the fact is, that assumption is wrong. If you're naturally gifted enough in football to make millions of dollars playing it, you probably will, but that doesn't mean you could care less about watching it on television. One thing Martin does care about, though, is the NFL's reputation. When asked what he would do if he became NFL commissioner, he didn't say anything about raising player salaries or adding rules to protect players from injuries. Instead, he said he would increase the penalties for players who get into off-field trouble. "I would probably do something with the discipline in the league because right now we're just having too much going on and we want to keep the league reputable," Martin said. "I would implement more stipulations that would govern how we are off the field." It's fascinating that in the wake of all the issues surrounding Pacman Jones, it's the players themselves who seem most troubled. Add Martin to the growing list of players who say enough is enough. http://celtics.aolsportsblog.com/20...n-i-dont-love-the-game-im-not-a-football-fan/
