Trey McBride learned a valuable lesson this offseason – never insult the fans.
A cousin of the “customer is always right” principle, the Arizona Cardinals‘ tight end walked back some comments he made about the team’s fanbase. McBride ruffled some feathers in June when he mentioned the Cardinals’ lack of fans during an appearance on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast.
Advertisement
McBride was asked about that stance when he spoke with reporters on June 25.
“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have said that,” McBride said. “It came out wrong, and obviously the fanbase is great. We have a tremendous fanbase. Arizona’s been here, loyal fans to all the sports teams here, and we’re very lucky to have a lot of these guys, and we’re going to have a great season. We’re going to win games and we’re going to make sure those fans have something proud to cheer for.
“I love it here in Arizona, and I hope they love me too, but it’s a special place. The fans are great, and I’m excited for this year to give them something to be proud of.”
Here’s what McBride said originally:
Advertisement
“Living in Arizona, no one’s from Arizona,” McBride said on the podcast. “Everyone has kind of moved in from another state, so they’re all fans of their own teams, so now you have the Arizona that sits there and there’s no Arizona fans in Arizona. So it’s a tough deal.
“Hopefully, we start winning some games and we can bring some of those fans back.”
Former Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Taylor Lewan, who grew up in Arizona, noted on the podcast that he started to see Cardinals hats around town before their Super Bowl appearance in 2009. That disappeared after the game, the host added.
Luckily for McBride, he already knows the solution – winning games.
Advertisement
The Cards have just four playoff appearances since losing the Super Bowl in 2009 to go along with only five winning seasons in the last 17.
In that time, every team in the NFC West has appeared in the Super Bowl at least twice.
New head coach Mike LaFleur is tasked with closing that gap. It won’t be easy, but there’s a famous saying to lean on during times like this.
“If you build it, they will come.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trey McBride ‘probably shouldn’t have said’ comments criticizing Cards fans
