Marquette King is one of the best punters in the NFL, so it was a shock that Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden decided to cut him. On the day he was getting released, King tried to impress Gruden with a box of Snickers.
Caught up with Marquette King. Interesting note: He tried to meet with Gruden the morning he was cut, but staff was out. Wanting to make a good impression he brought Snickers for Gruden and limoncello for ST coach Rich Bisaccia. https://t.co/2UGwxhxizm— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) April 9, 2018
King, who eventually signed with the AFC West rival Denver Broncos, was shocked by the move.
"It was like you've been punched in that MMA game and you're in a daze, and if you get hit one more time, you'll get knocked out," King said. "That's what it felt like. I finished the meal, but everything was surreal. It's one of those things where, God forbid, but if somebody calls and says somebody has died that you're close to, there's nothing you can do in that moment. It's going to hit you a little later. But it definitely felt unreal."Gruden was apparently trying to send a message by cutting King, who has been known for being hilarious with his social media antics off the field and is probably the most entertaining punter in the league.
However, the Raiders wanted more maturity on and off the field from King, and less of the "unsportsmanlike penalties, post-kick celebrations and social media postings."
"You can't judge me by what you see on TV or social media, and sadly, a lot of people do that," King said. "If those things were an issue, just sit down and tell me. I can be a zombie if you want me to. But everybody knows what they sign up for when they get into professional sports. You know there are going to be ups and downs, and you've got to be able to handle them regardless of the situation, with professionalism and a positive attitude.King was second-team All-Pro in 2016, and ranked fourth in the league last year in net average yards per punt with 42.7.
"That's why I thanked Reggie McKenzie for the opportunity he gave me. I know I played well, so I wasn't stressing about what was to come. It would have been different if I had a bad year, but I had a good year and I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't break the law or do any domestic violence or hurt people or disrespect people. I'm looking forward to helping Denver, but I do have a huge chip on my shoulder. It's going to be fun to play the Raiders twice a year."
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