Last week, former 49ers linebacker Chris Borland admitted to ESPN Magazine that rookies were often advised to get "fall guys" in case they ever got into trouble with the law.
While Borland declined to name names, he forgot the we have the Internet, and it wasn't too long until this video from June of 2014 on the NFL's website came to the surface.
Here, Cris Carter and Warren Sapp can be seen telling young footballers to have a "fall guy." Carter calls up Teddy Bridgewater on stage to use as an example, and makes it crystal clear that having a guy to take the blame is an integral part of their future careers.
"Y'all not going to all do the right stuff now. So I've got to teach you how to get around all this stuff, too. If you're going to have a crew, one of them fools got to know he going to jail. We'll get him out."
Terrible advice or just really bad good advice?
Carter has decidedly agreed that it's the former, apologizing on Twitter:
Seeing that video has made me realize how wrong I was. I was brought there to educate young people and instead I gave them very...
— Cris Carter (@criscarter80) August 24, 2015
bad advice. Every person should take responsibility for his own actions. I’m sorry and I truly regret what I said that day.”
— Cris Carter (@criscarter80) August 24, 2015
Either way, it's not reallllly the image the NFL is trying to go for, and it's pretty crazy this is even out there for public viewing.
"Fall guy" video is literally on the #NFL website right now. http://t.co/Wa8LKJtW6H pic.twitter.com/HEYnSeBUqQ
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) August 23, 2015
H/T to the BroBible