Quinnen Williams and Jim Rome apparently had different intentions regarding the interview, so the former ESPN presenter subsequently erupted into a tirade.
The Jets defensive lineman appeared on “The Jim Rome Show” on Friday to promote College Colors Day, a celebration of sports hosted by sports licensing brand Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC).
According to Rome, Williams, who played for Alabama, arrived late for the interview and refused to deviate from the College Colors commercial throughout his guest appearance.
When asked about his opinion on quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the two-time Pro Bowler gave a brief answer.
“He’s an incredible human being, man. But I’m just here to speak on College Colors Day,” Williams explained.
Frustrated, Rome ended the interview after just one minute and decided to spend the remaining four minutes in a heated monologue about Williams’ “bad, bad form,” his representatives, and the Jets.
“Do you really think I’m putting you on this show just to talk about your product?” Rome said. “Do you think I care that much about this product? Or at all? Just come and get a bunch of free advertising that other people are paying for. My friend, that’s not how it works. Without going completely nuts and freaking out, let me reiterate: great player and really good guy, very poor execution.”
He also noted that when asked about College Colors Day, Williams himself did not give a very detailed or insightful answer.
“If you’re not going to talk about anything but the pitch, which is bad, bad form when I get to the pitch, you should at least be willing to talk about the pitch,” Rome said. “The Jets are going to be the Jets. I hate that. This is such a bad experience because I had such a good experience with him the last time I talked to him. And I know this is a good guy. This is a great player and a good guy who just had a really bad performance in ‘The Jungle.'”
Rome also provided advice to professional athletes and celebrity marketing representatives on offering and negotiating interviews.
“A memo to everybody who’s pitching: You’ve got to play some ball,” Rome explained. “You can’t come here to pitch something and then in a short segment if I ask you something about your team because you’re late … if I ask you about your teammate, you can’t brush me off and say, ‘Yeah, but I’m not here to talk about that, I’m here to talk about that.’ I know exactly what you’re here to talk about and I always get to it.”
Williams, 26, is entering his sixth year with the Jets and will look to pursue his third consecutive Pro Bowl selection.
Last season, Williams recorded 5.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, one interception for six yards, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
