Greg Schiano has received the brunt of the criticism when it comes to the drama surrounding Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman. As the saga surrounding Freeman continues to grow, a lot of fingers are being pointed towards Schiano for being the cause of things. As Tampa Bay searches for a trade and Freeman begs for a release, Schiano is going on the defense about his actions throughout the whole thing.
It was reported Monday that Freeman was part of the NFL substance-abuse policy. Many wondered if he had once test positive for illegal drugs, the main reason he would be in the program to begin with. Freeman was then forced to release a statement saying he had never taken illegal drugs, but was taking Adderall in order to treat ADHD. ESPN was the first to report the information that per NFL rules is supposed to be confidential.
Fingers then pointed at Schiano for being the leak of the information in an attempt to create a smear campaign round the quarterback. The two's relationship has certainly seen its struggles this season, but the head coach says he would never leak private information. Freeman does not see it that way and wants out of Tampa Bay as fast as possible.
"Obviously the head coach has come out and said that this isn't the place for me to be a starting quarterback," Freeman said, via CBSSports.com. "He doesn't think that I give this team the best chance to win. I don't agree, but at the same time I'm the player and he's the coach. Whatever happens next, I'm moving on. I'm going to be excited to go out and make the most of any situation. ...[The] bottom line is, if you want things to change, something has got to change."
This is not the first time that Schiano has been accused of tampering with something. When Freeman was not voted a captain for the 2013 season, the head coach was accused of changing the votes in favor of Vincent Jackson. Again, Schiano denied all accusations.
The reality is Schiano and Freeman cannot co-exist on team together and one person has to go. Freeman will be the one to leave either by trade or by free agency. Playing the last year of his contract, Freeman is owed over $6 million at the end of the season. If the Buccaneers have it their way, a team will take on the contract via trade. If not, Freeman will get his money and walk away into free agency.
