"That was after the 3rd preseason game last year, the Seattle Seahawks," John Page began. "He was injured and wasn't able to play. Before the game, the coach basically approached the player in an intimidating manner, in language not fit for a sailor, and tried to humiliate the player in front of others to force him to play.
"He was in no condition to be playing. The player didn't return any argument and didn't say anything to the coach and just left the room when the coach asked him to because he wasn't able to play in that game. He actually put on his pads and tried to go out but wasn't able to do it.
"That experience was so disheartening, was so offensive and so outlandish, that he said this is not the place for me anymore."
Things have gotten bad with this situation. Page has moved out of his Kansas City area home and returned to his native Los Angeles.
The Chiefs may have their hands tied now. It's hard to imagine they can hold on to Page, who has the option of signing his tender at his discretion. And it is doubtful that they can get value for him in a trade now that teams will know that he won't be suiting up for the Chiefs. It would appear that Pioli's tough stance in player contracts will come back to bite him in this case. Page has received open interest from the Detroit Lions, and it is hard to imagine that teams such as the Raiders, Rams, or Chargers wouldn't be interested in a veteran safety with his ability.
It appears that the situation will run a similar course as that of Bernard Pollard's last season. Pollard didn't fit into the Pioli/Haley plan and was cut from the roster. He was immediately acquired by the Houston Texans and was one of the key performers for the team and was arguably among the top 10 safeties in the league. There will be a lot of bad press for the Chiefs if a similar outcome were to happen with Jarad Page.
Another outcome of this situation will be the hole it leaves opposite Eric Berry. The Chiefs are apparently ready to go ahead with a rotation of Kendrick Lewis and John McGraw. Lewis and McGraw bring similar skill sets with Lewis having the edge in terms of athleticism and McGraw having an edge in terms of football knowledge. Many of the KC faithful are excited about Lewis whose only drawback appears to be his speed (similar situation with McGraw). However, there are a lot of reservations about starting two rookies in a secondary that already features two young starting cornerbacks (The Brandons: Flowers and Carr).
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