Barlow Sorry for Comparing Nolan to Hitler Jets Running Back Sounded Off on Former Coach By ANDREA ADELSON AP Sports HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (Aug. 23) - Jets running back Kevan Barlow apologized Wednesday to 49ers coach Mike Nolan for comparing him to Adolf Hitler in a newspaper interview. Barlow, who was traded from San Francisco to New York on Sunday for a fourth-round pick, made his inflammatory comments to the Contra Costa Times. The often outspoken Barlow said after practice Wednesday he left a detailed message for Nolan. "If I could take it back, I would," Barlow said. "I was very emotional. All I knew at the time was San Francisco, that was where I started my career, that's where my house was. It was a shock to me. "I'm a passionate player, I'm an emotional guy when it comes to on the field and off the field. Sometimes it gets the best of us. I put it behind me, and I'm glad to be a Jet." Barlow was upset with the trade because Nolan assured him earlier in the week he wouldn't be dealt. He told the newspaper Nolan was a "first-time head coach with too much power." "He walks around with a chip on his shoulder, like he's a dictator, like he's Hitler," Barlow told the paper. "People are scared of him. If it ain't Nolan's way, it's the highway." After making the comments, Barlow called back to say he didn't mean to make the comparison, blaming his outburst on his emotions. "I was kind of harsh on him, saying he's a dictator. That's bad. Saddam Hussein is a dictator," Barlow told the paper. "I was speaking on emotion." On Wednesday, Barlow said, "I tried to go back and take some things back from the reporter, but obviously he wanted to write a story. It was too late by then." Barlow was never one to hold his tongue during his time in San Francisco. He had some spats with teammates and coaches, including a long-running feud with fullback Fred Beasley . The players quashed their fight last season. When told of Barlow's latest comments, Nolan told the newspaper, "It's unfortunate he feels that way." "Personally, I feel Kevan is a good kid," Nolan said. "When I came here I heard negative things about him and trouble in the locker room. When I was here, I thought he did the right things, like calling me if he was late or calling if he said the wrong thing to the media. As long as he was here, he was a model citizen." The Jets acquired Barlow to bolster their depth, with Curtis Martin on the physically-unable-to-perform list because of a knee injury. Barlow was told about the trade just before the 49ers left for their game against Oakland on Sunday. He took a red-eye flight to New York and arrived Monday morning, passed his physical and practiced briefly. He was excused from practice Tuesday so he could catch up on sleep. But that didn't stop him from criticizing Nolan to the newspaper. When Jets coach Eric Mangini found out about what Barlow said, he had a long talk with his new player. "I thought his comments were inappropriate," Mangini said. "After he said it, he wished he could have those words back. But he can't. Kevan has already called coach Nolan to talk to him about that, which I think is important." Because of character questions, many wondered why the Jets made the move earlier in the week. Barlow insisted Wednesday he is a "good character guy." Now he wants to put his days in San Francisco behind and focus on New York. "I bleed green and white now," he said. "And I'm happy to be a Jet."
This was probably noted somewhere but the SF Chronicle reports: "Barlow seems to have settled down after lambasting Nolan after Nolan dealt him to the Jets. A greeting on Barlow's cell phone says, "Hello, you've reached Kevan. Please leave a message. J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets.""
I dont blame him for his anger if the coaches screwed him like that. They straight up told him he's not going anywhere and they trade him.
I can understand him being pissed, after Nolan assured him he wouldn't be traded only a week ago. That's a serious slap in the face. BUT.... Barlow has to learn to shut up when he knows his feelings are ... a bit ruffled. Talk to your friends, your family, your team mates... don't go public. I would have loved to be a fly on the wal when Mangini called him in....
Maybe it was something along these lines...:breakdance: Limelight Living on a lighted stage Approaches the unreal For those who think and feel In touch with some reality Beyond the gilded cage Cast in this unlikely role Ill-equipped to act With insufficient tact One must put up barriers To keep oneself intact Living in the limelight The universal dream For those who wish to seem Those who wish to be Must put aside the alienation Get on with the fascination The real relation The underlying theme Living in a fish eye lens Caught in the camera eye I have no heart to lie I can't pretend a stranger (like a beat writer looking for a story) Is a long-awaited friend All the world's indeed a stage And we are merely players Performers and portrayers Each another's audience Outside the gilded cage "Kevan, we can overlook this, just don't let it happen again, now it might help to set things right to offer a sincere apology, and as a reminder please note that you will not be allowed to speak again to the media as per the fine print on your contract"
