Clinton Portis Discusses The Holidays. Oh, And His Future.
Posted by Matt Terl on December 15, 2009 – 1:16 pm
As I noted earlier, charity is the centerpiece of any holiday season. Today marked the Skins Santa Shoppe Holiday Toy and Book Giveaway, put on annually by the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation and Toys For Tots, which provided toys and books to children in need from 19 area schools and eight community groups.
One of the Redskins players in attendance was injured running back Clinton Portis, who talked about the importance of these kinds of events.
“I mean, it’s just exciting, man,” he said. “You think back to when you were eight, you know, fortunate for me I never really knew outside of Mississippi and I got gifts and never went a Christmas without. But then to become a grown man, a successful man, and you look back and you see poverty-sticken neighborhoods, you see kids who are unfortunate … it makes you grateful for everything that you did [get].
“I remember that I used to get mad because I didn’t get a dirtbike or a moped, and I got everything else,” Portis continued. “I got whatever the new system was, the Super Nintendo, the Super Tecmo Bowl and all the games that came with it, but I would be stubborn and selfish just because I didn’t get a moped for Christmas or I didn’t get this for Christmas. And you sit and look today and kids are appreciative of getting skateboards, and that just made their day, you look back and just be thankful for it.”
Good to see Portis out and about, and I can’t imagine what more people would rather have heard him say.
Oh, wait, you’re wondering how he’s doing, and about all that stuff last week where it sounded like his career was over? Yeah, I guess he mentioned that too. More after the jump.
On what he’s been doing since his injury:
“Just chillin’, man. Sittin’ back tryin’ to get right. I spent the mjajority of it travellin’ back and forth to doctors every day. Other than that, just chillin’.”
On if there’s really anything he can do to help ‘get right’:
“You really can’t. I think it’s just the healin’ process. I did all the exercises they asked me to do. I’m trying to get my eye right and tryin to get it on track. I really thought I would be cleared and I thought I was gonna have the opportunity to play last weekend. You know, tests was goin’ well until I put the goggles back on and doc was like he couldn’t risk it, he wasn’t gonna put me in that situation that if I was to get hit, go back on the field and wasn’t 100%, I could have a re-occurrence, that wouldn’t sit right with him. SO they did what they thought was best and put me on IR.”
On the risks and frustrations of being shut down for the year:
“I mean, I would love to play, but at the same time, I don’t think that when you got the opportunity to play again next year and the years to come, why risk it? I think this is a first time thing. Is it scary? Of course. At the time that it happened, I wanted to continue playing the Flacons game, but you go back and see what happened, see that I’m laying on the field motionless, you know, all the side effects and what’s gon on … I think it’s more how they scare me, the conversations from the outside world, oh, man, this could happen, that could happen, but at the same time, what’s gonna happen is gonna happen. I think God puts you in those situations and if it was meant to happen, no matter how healthy I think I am, if it’s gonna happen, I get hit again, it’s gonna happen.
“It’s frustrating, but at the same time, man, I been on IR before. The first time I think it was just the aggravation of not playing. This time it’s more [about] understand the business, understand the career things, knowing that I still have time to go out, no need to rush it and get out this year and finish this year off, knowing I got next year to look forward to. So knowing I got an opportunity to get back, get healthy this offseason, and come back looking forward to next year.”
On sounding like his injury was career-threatening on last week’s John Thompson Show (on ESPN980!):
“Career-ending? I don’t think for one second this could be career ending.”
Oh, well, that’s good. Guess everyone just misunderstood. Thanks for talking, CP, looking forward to seeing you back healthy next year, and — wait, he kept on talking?
“I think I’ve spoken on Coach Thompson’s show about my career HERE being over — I mean, I can’t sit here and tell you that I WANT my career here to be over, but at the same time, you’ve gotta understand the business side of things. You know, I been here for six years and we went to the playoffs twice. I think Mr. Snyder, with the pressure on him and the organization, probably gonna have to make changes. And, you know, for everything that goes on, I’m to blame, so why wouldn’t I be the change?”
On if he would love to be here:
“You know, I would love to be here. I’m grateful of everything this organization’s done for me. But at the same time it’s just understanding the business side of things. You know, I could be selfish, say, Oh, man, look at my production, look at what I’ve done, but we don’t have anything to show for my production, so if it happens, it happens, and I understand that.”
On what has helped the team improve:
“I think we just should use the talent. you know, I think you sit back and you look now and you see Fred Davis make plays, you see Devin Thomas make plays, it’ s like, Wow, these guys are comin’ out. We coulda been lettin’ those guys loose. Once they threw Fred into the fire — beforehand, it was always, Well, Fred, he not ready, he’s not ready, he not ready. Then once you throw him into the fire, you see Fred Davis respond. You see Devin Thomas respond. You see these young guys stepping up and I think, just give people the opportunity to make plays. You could’ve threw them in the fire last year, I think they’d be in the same position they in now.
“When they drafted ‘em, they knew these guys was gonna be hard to cover. They knew these guys could make plays. We just never really get our talent on the field and use it the way we can. You see the weapons they became; now just imagine if I was healthy and Chris Cooley was healthy and, you know, you had Randy [Thomas], and … you know, when we had that opportunity, we didn’t use it. Just use it.”
On how he’d like the fans to remember him IF — and I emphasize the IF because this is, at this point, entirely conjecture or Portis’ part and, subsequently, the questioner’s — this does turn out to have been his last season as a Redskin:
“Just remember I gave it everything I had. I think the way i’ve been portrayed was like I’ve been selfish. I’ve never been selfish; I don’t think there’s nobody around that could say I’m selfish. I think I went out and gave everything I had on Sunday. You know, through the week — which became the problem, me not practicin’ through the week — I’m not gonna sit and torture myself through a week, you know/ If I can’t do it, I can’t do it. I know how I feel, and I’ll always know how I feel. I feel like if I’m capable of going out on Sunday and giving you everything that I got, then that’s perfect. I don’t think running plays change, I don’t think blocking schemes change, I think it’s all instinct and I don’t think I’ve lost instinct.
“So if I have played my last game as a Redskin, I would like the fans to remember, on Sunday I gave you everything I had. I can think of two people, mayb
e three, that I would say I put in my realm as Sunday players, and that would the late, great Sean Taylor, London Fletcher, probably Santana Moss. That week in, week out, gonna give you everything I got, win, lose, or draw. There’s some other guys, they go out, they play hard, but to the level of playing to the top of your ability, I think I gave you that week in, week out, my whole career. And I’m gonna continue to do that.”
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