The benching of Maxx Crosby has been the dominant storyline surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders, and his appearance on SiriusXM’s “Let’s Go!” podcast on Monday night only intensified the conversation.
Speaking with Jim Gray, Crosby made clear that football is not simply his profession. It is, in his words, an obsession that has shaped him since childhood.
“For me, my love for the game has been since the day I started, since I could remember,” Crosby told Gray on Let’s Go! He described himself as “an addict to the core,” noting that his obsessive personality fuels the way he plays, practices and prepares. That mindset, he said, comes with firm principles: you play to win, you play for your teammates, and you play through the inevitable wear-and-tear that comes with an NFL season. “There’s going to be bumps and bruises. You’re going to be banged up. That is a part of the game and the nature of the beast.”
Crosby also acknowledged his career is finite. “I never want to look back and say I wish I would have, or I should have, done this,” he said. His commitment, he added, is demonstrated through action rather than rhetoric. To him, leadership is earned by showing daily what the standard looks like.
What went unaddressed, however, were the questions hovering over the franchise. Crosby did not discuss the team’s decision to shut him down for the final two games due to a knee injury he had been managing for most of the season. He also was not asked whether the move affected his view of the organization. Given the tension surrounding his reaction, those omissions were notable.
How does Maxx Crosby feel about the Raiders?
Gray once asked Pete Rose the question heard around the sports world. Naturally, fans thought he’d ask Crosby the obvious ones: Has this hurt the relationship? Did the shutdown create distance? Is a trade on the table?
Well, hate to disappoint you, Raider Nation.
These are not side issues. They are the main issue. If athletes are going to speak directly to fans, they also need to address the most obvious questions. No one doubts Crosby’s love for football. What remains unclear after Monday’s interview is whether his feelings about the Raiders have changed—and whether the organization understands how important that answer is.
*Top Photo: Getty Images