Former NFL executive Mike Lombardi made headlines recently by calling out Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby for failing to show up on the sidelines for his team's win over the Cleveland Browns two weeks ago while dealing with a hamstring injury. The only problem was that it was not a hamstring injury for Crosby but rather an ankle ailment, and the star recently called out Lombardi on his podcast, insinuating that Lombardi's son's firing from the team may play a role in him holding a grudge against the organization.
Now, Lombardi is attempting to clear the air, and took ownership of his comments during a recent appearance on ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show (Per Pat McAfee on X, formerly Twitter).
“Let me address the elephant in the room. He’s right, I was wrong. I thought he had a hamstring injury, and he’s right to call me out because I was wrong,” said Lombardi. “Just like I call people out that I think are wrong. So I was wrong on that, I thought he had a hamstring, he had a high ankle. He didn’t deserve to be on the sideline.”
Lombardi then spoke on why he has no problem admitting his mistake.
“Look, if you’re going to criticize people and you’re right, you only have validity if you admit when you’re wrong,” noted Lombardi.
Can the Raiders turn things around?
Outside of this bizarre feud, Crosby and the Raiders haven't found a ton of success so far this season, as the team currently sits at 2-3 after a demolition at the hands of the Denver Broncos last week.
Crosby played through injury in that game, recording two sacks in the process.
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Still, the team is currently dealing with rampant trade rumors surrounding star wide receiver Davante Adams, which Lombardi believes is having a negative effect on things as a whole.
“I do think there’s internal problems with that organization which was the genesis of our conversation,” said Lombardi. “The Davante Adams situation is brewing, I don’t think everybody is happy there about what’s going on in the building. It’s a hard job for Antonio Pierce moving from interim coach to becoming the full time coach. It’s hard because you went from the substitute teacher to the full time teacher.”
In any case, the Raiders are set to next take the field on Sunday at home vs the Pittsburgh Steelers in front of what will likely be a sea of terrible towels despite the road environment. That game is slated to kick off at 4:05 PM ET.
