Commanders president Jason Wright ripped a reporter who grilled Washington quarterback Carson Wentz about his training camp accuracy issues, as well as his recent struggles in the NFL.
In a tweet posted on Thursday, Wright called Scott Abraham, who covers the Commanders for 7News D.C., a “pompous, unprofessional mess” and included a clip of the interview.
“Thankfully, Carson demonstrated grace & class in response to this pompous, unprofessional mess,” Wright wrote. “I recognize you have made a living on childlike provocation but it needs to be called out,” Wright tweeted. “Don’t expect special access and good luck building rapport with the guys @Scott7news.”
In a separate tweet, Wright added, “And it’s not that the guys can’t take criticism. Just be a journalist and follow standard practices. Others have found a way to do both.”
During the interview, Abraham asked Wentz to assess his performance — and whether or not he believes it is a fair characterization that some “narratives” are that he’s “a little inaccurate on [his] throws” and “consistently inconsistent” at training camp.
“Yeah, I mean for one, it’s camp,” Wentz said. “I didn’t know that, so thank you. At the same time I’m my biggest critic.”
Abraham — who said in a tweet that his line of questioning was “tough” — also questioned Wentz about his unceremonious exits in Indianapolis and Philadelphia.
“Real talk here, Carson: It’s been well-documented, Philly didn’t want you, Indy didn’t want you. Do you think this is your last chance to prove you can be a starting quarterback in the NFL?” Abraham asked.
“I don’t really think about all that stuff,” said Wentz. “For me, I’m playing the game I love and I have the most confidence in myself to deliver, to play at a high level, to be part of something special here with this team.
“I don’t put all that pressure on myself. People can feel that way and people can say what they want and I have no issue with that. But for me, I don’t think in those terms.”
Wright seemed to take issue with the way Abraham phrased the questions, while discussing the interview on Twitter with Pro Football Talk.
“You can honestly say, ‘Philly didn’t want you, Indy didn’t want you’ is an appropriate tone?” Wright asked. “We value giving extraordinary access to local media & Lord knows can’t avoid hard questions here. But disrespect should never be tolerated and we should defend our guys when it surfaces.”
When Pro Football Talk suggested handling his issue privately, Wright said “enough is enough” in a separate tweet.
“I think the tone is obvious. Private conversations have been had and enough is enough. We’ve spent the last two years re-introducing ourselves and establishing a collaborative way of working with media,” Wright tweeted. “But being kind & values driven does not mean being a doormat.”
Despite his struggles, Wentz has showed flashes of his old self at training camp.
During a Thursday appearance on “Good Morning Football,” Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson said his connection with Wentz has “been great.”
“He’s been more than helpful to me,” said Dotson. “He puts the ball on the money where I need it.”
Wentz threw for 3,563 yards and 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions for the Colts last season. The Colts traded Wentz to the Commanders in March.