Back to work for Hargrove
By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/28/2006
Rams defensive end Anthony Hargrove leaps over a lineman during a game between the Rams and the Broncos.
(Chris Lee/P-D)
For the first time in a week, defensive end Anthony Hargrove was on the practice field Wednesday for the Rams. Only this time, Hargrove found himself at the bottom of the depth chart.
"Anthony spent the week in a self-inflicted doghouse, I guess," coach
Scott Linehan said. "He's back out there. He's just got to work his way back."
As was the case Sunday against Arizona, rookie Victor Adeyanju worked with the starting unit during Wednesday's practice, with Brandon Green used in most passing situations. Almost all of Hargrove's work Wednesday came with the scout team, which runs the plays of each week's opponent.
"He's kind of starting a little bit over," Linehan said.
Hargrove was benched for the Arizona game and was left behind in St. Louis after going AWOL last Thursday. By the time he finally met with Linehan last Friday afternoon, he had missed that day's practice and meetings as well. The team is fining him for missing both days; under the collective bargaining agreement, he can be fined a maximum of $20,000 a day.
In his first public comments since going AWOL, Hargrove provided no elaboration as to why he missed work without calling the team. But it could be nothing more than a case of Hargrove staying out late and oversleeping.
According to sources, Hargrove was at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning with a small group of friends. The casino closes at 5 a.m., although it is not known when Hargrove left.
Mike Knopfel, public relations manager for Ameristar, said the casino does not release names of patrons visiting the casino.
On a routine Thursday, Rams players have a special teams meeting at 7:20 a.m., with a full-squad meeting at 8:05. For players needing treatment for injuries, aches and pains, the training room is open at 6:30 a.m. The Rams have no team curfew on weeknights, and according to a team source, aren't allowed to have one under the collective bargaining agreement.
Linehan declined to comment on the matter Wednesday, as did Hargrove's agent, Phil Williams.
When asked Wednesday why he wasn't at work last week, Hargrove said: "It's water under the bridge now. It's Wednesday. It's not last week. It's a new week, so I'm just ready to go on."
When it was suggested that thousands of Rams fans were wondering about his absence, Hargrove said: "It's nothing now. ... I'm not trying to relive that tale. So I'm moving on."
So Rams fans don't deserve some kind of explanation?
"It's a personal matter," Hargrove said. "If you had something happen to you personally, would you want to tell the world? It's my life. It's my personal business. ... No comment."
As expected, Hargrove did issue a brief apology to the team Wednesday.
"He basically just said that he'd like to re-establish himself, and prove to the guys that he's sorry about the way it went, and that was really it," Linehan said.
Hargrove said: "I just apologized for not being accountable. I play with 10 other guys on the field, and they count on me to make plays and be there, and I wasn't there."
Coming back and facing his teammates wasn't easy, Hargrove said.
"But it was something I had to do," he said. "They counted on me to be here, and I wasn't, so I had to come here and I had to make things right. It's about being a man and 'manning' up to your responsibilities."
When asked what he learned from last week, Hargrove said: "You just have to be accountable. Sometimes you just have to handle situations better. In this business, we need to be accountable -- we're on a pedestal where if we mess up, the whole world knows it. So I learned a lesson."
Hargrove said he plans to pay the fines.
"It was nothing the coaches did," he said. "It was nothing the organization did. It's on me."
Hargrove said he would fight to get his starting job back. But that may be easier said than done because Adeyanju and Green played well in Sunday's victory at Arizona. On Monday, Linehan said Adeyanju would remain the starter this week.
On Wednesday, Linehan wouldn't even commit to having Hargrove on the game-day roster for the Lions.
"We'll suit up the guys that we feel best fit our roster for Sunday," Linehan said.
"I lost my starting job, so I'm scout team," Hargrove said. "I took all the reps, and I got in there with the defensive line, so it's not a total loss. I'm still here to compete and play. I'm not here lying down and just going to give up."
Hargrove appears to have the support of his teammates. But in a sense, he must prove himself all over again.
"I know that he's lost the trust of a lot of guys," quarterback
Marc Bulger said. "I think he recognizes that. He'll have to get it back from the coaches and his teammates, and he'll have to suffer those consequences."
Linear Mode
