Jared Allen spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs, after which he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for three draft choices. On a conference call earlier this week, Allen made it clear that he held no ill will towards the fans of Kansas City. . .but the same can't be said for Chiefs' owner Clark Hunt and then-General Manager Carl Peterson.
Allen holds Peterson personally responsible for the fact that he is no longer playing his football for Kansas City.
"His name was Carl Peterson. You can write that in caps," Allen said on a conference call with Kansas City reporters.
"Obviously, I had a problem with (owner) Clark Hunt, too, because he chose Carl over me, huh? When everything went down there, I didn't appreciate being lied to. I was told I'd get (a contract) extension and everything, and the way things played out, my biggest thing was, 'Listen, I don't lie to you guys. I show up and bust my tail for you. Don't lie to me.' ... It's tough to go and give your all for someone like that."
But, not to seem totally ungracious, Allen balanced that out a bit with some slightly kinder words for Peterson yesterday.
"He did me something awesome by not signing me back (in 2007)," Allen said. "I'm in a great organization now. The Wilfs are phenomenal. Plus the contract I was going to sign (in Kansas City), this one was 10 times more than that one. ... Honestly, things work out for a reason."
However it worked out, and for whatever reason it worked out that way, we're pretty darn happy that #69 is plying his trade in purple and gold now.