Oakland Raiders: Marquette King’s Pro Bowl Antics Aren’t Surprising
Oakland Raiders punter Marquette King made headlines during a competitive Pro Bowl. Did he overstep loyalty boundaries? Should the front office release him?
This is a rarity, but there’s a first time for everything, right? An entire column about something a punter did during a Pro Bowl game that he didn’t play in—sideline antics. Nonetheless, Oakland Raiders punter Marquette King jumps off a flat screen as a special entertainer. He’s not just some random punter who kicks downfield and scurries off to the sideline.
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No, King brings excitement to the game. Despite taking few snaps on special teams, he’s sure to catch your eye after his booming 60-yard punts. Initially, he garnered spotlight as he rode an imaginary bronco during a Week 9 matchup against the division rival Denver Broncos.
The sight was both uncommon and entertaining:
He fist-pumped and celebrated after striking footballs with thunderous blows on most occasions. Raider Nation loved the spark he brought along with his ability to drive the opponents deep into their own territories. Unfortunately, a flamboyant personality like King’s doesn’t just turn off when toeing the line.
In Week 13 against the Buffalo Bills, King picked up a flag, danced with it and threw it to the ground, which drew an unnecessary penalty. According to Associated Press writer Josh Dubow, the Raiders punter drew three personal fouls during the previous season, an unheard of number for a punter on the field for fewer than 10 minutes per game.
During a media press conference after Week 14, head coach Jack Del Rio expressed dismay in his punter’s antics due to back-to-back infractions:
Del Rio said he didn't have one unsportsmanlike penalty his whole playing career, and now we have two in back to back weeks from the punter
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) December 12, 2016
King’s antics finally ticked off Raider Nation and teammate Bruce Irvin when he posed for a photo with an arch enemy, Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib, re-staging the chain-snatching incident with wide receiver Michael Crabtree:
Crabtree hasn’t made a public statement about the Pro Bowl snapshot. Irvin made a direct comment on the photo and questioned King’s loyalty via Raider_bandido’s screenshot:
King posted an Instagram video poking at the outrage following the incident. In a metaphoric gesture, he adjusts the sensitivity on his Call of Duty video game. In translation, he feels the reaction has been overexaggerated:
Due to Crabtree’s heated reaction to Talib’s chain-snatching stunt, you’d expect King to stay away from any sign of disrespect. However, it’s obvious the Raiders punter loves camera attention, spotlight and a good photo opportunity. Should we be surprised with his latest shenanigans? Self-indulgence only knows loyalty to one person, oneself. King probably cares for his teammates, but his self-satisfaction comes first on and off the field.
Although one snapshot with Talib dropped King from top-five currently beloved Raiders to being labeled a garden snake, he’s the exact same person fans fell in love with during the 2016 season. This isn’t a WWE heel turn on the Raiders. It’s a showboat staying true to his core whether we like it or not.
King will likely have to prove his solidarity for the team once the roster reassembles, but it’s an overreaction to suggest tearing up his contract. Currently, the Raiders have a fixable fissure among teammates. Furthermore, Oakland just inked their punter to a five-year, $16.5 million extension with $7.7 million guaranteed, per spotrac.com. With his talent, his teammates may opt to give him the cold shoulder on plane rides and on sidelines until he gets it.
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Should King exercise discretion? Yes, but we shouldn’t be shocked that his antics went beyond the fan’s comfort zone. If he’s drawing infractions to bring attention to himself during the regular season, the photo opportunity in what he probably deemed harmless, just raises his profile. Cognizant of his newly signed extension along with his ability, he’s obviously willing to dance on the fine line between selfish and self-centered.