Trey McBride is walking back his comments about Cardinals fans, while Tetairoa McMillan is trying to clear up a youth camp misunderstanding in Carolina.
McBride, speaking on a recent episode of Bussin’ with the Boys, had suggested that Arizona’s transplanted population makes it tough to build a true home-field crowd. He later reversed course in an interview with ESPN and made it clear he didn’t like how his remarks landed.
“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have said that,” McBride said, via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN. “It came out wrong, and obviously the fanbase is great.
We have a tremendous fanbase. Arizona’s been here, loyal fans to all the sports teams here, and we’re very lucky to have a lot of these guys, and we’re going to have a great season.
We’re going to win games and we’re going to make sure those fans have something proud to cheer for. I love it here in Arizona, and I hope they love me too, but it’s a special place.
The fans are great, and I’m excited for this year to give them something to be proud of.”
In Carolina, McMillan said he was never actually locked in to appear at a youth football camp, despite the confusion around his name being tied to it. He wanted to make one thing plain: the issue wasn’t a lack of interest in kids or community work.
“I don’t want anybody to think that I don’t like kids or anything like that,” McMillan told reporters, via the team website. “You know, I love the kids.
Obviously, you know, they’re the next generation. So, [I] try to give back as much as possible.
But, yeah, I don’t know where that came from. I never committed to that. . . .
I look forward to seeing all the kids that expected me to be at that camp either at a game or come out to a practice, or, you know, just so I can make up for it.”
McMillan also pointed to the ways players can still connect with fans and young supporters even when a camp appearance doesn’t happen.
“You know, obviously, there’s a lot of people that wait for us [at] practice either before practice or after practice,” McMillan added. “So, you know, just stop by or, you know, just come to a game. Fill up the Bank of America Stadium, do whatever you can, just to give back.”
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