Mike Florio Called 'Conspiracy Theorist' By Eagles GM Howie Roseman In Chippy Exchange
Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman had some sharp words for ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio.
The chippy encounter centered on Roseman and the Eagles' recent involvement in a tampering case also involving former DC Jonathan Gannon and the Arizona Cardinals.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman Has Heated Response For Mike Florio
The NFL determined that Gannon interviewed for the Arizona Cardinals head coaching job a week after their NFC Championship. League rules restrict head-coaching interviews until after the Super Bowl is played.
Naturally, the Cards' tampering did not sit well with the Eagles’ front office.
Bringing up the situation during an interview with Roseman, Mike Florio managed to set the GM off. Florio's questioning led to Roseman calling the host out for prying for answers and dubbed Florio one of the worst “conspiracy theorists” in NFL media.
“Before I let you go, what can you tell me about how the Jonathan Gannon situation came to be? How did you find out about it?
Florio added, “You guys actually make the complaint, or was this the Cardinals raising their hands saying, 'We really realize we screwed up'?"
WATCH:
Florio Stood His Ground... (I guess)
To Florio’s credit, the PFT host stood by his questioning, asking Roseman whether the Eagles brought this issue to the NFL to penalize Arizona.
On the heels of a Super Bowl loss, the Eagles likely got ticked off by the Gannon interview and would prefer not to admit it.
When Roseman responded with generic answers, Florio accused him of covering his behind.
"But do you not realize that answers like that make people like me think there's a hell of a lot more to this than anyone is ever gonna tell us and it was a much bigger deal than anyone led it on to be?" Florio asked.
Roseman eventually responded ... with claws out.
"If I was making a list of top five conspiracy theorists around the National Football League," Roseman said, "you would be, I don't know if you would be one, I don't want to put you as one, but you would definitely be top five.”
It was evident that the GM was irked by Florio. After all, Roseman's reaction is part of the firebrand Philly attitude that gives guys like the GM and head coach Nick Sirianni a signature edge.
In the end, picks were swapped by the teams and the Eagles were seemingly compensated for Gannon’s ill-timed interview.
Roseman and the Eagles can boast about another great offseason of accruing talent (typically from Georgia) and keeping their core defensive playmakers. The team drafted defensive tackle Jalen Carter, linebacker Nolan Smith and cornerback Kelee Ringo to bolster their premier defense.