Stefon Diggs Comments on His Departure From Minnesota: "I Was Never Really Vocal"
Former Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs recently spoke to the Buffalo media for the first time since being traded to the Bills in March, and he had some interesting things to say about how his departure from Minnesota went down.
When a reporter said that Diggs was vocal about what he didn't like about the Vikings, which led to the trade, the star wideout made sure to correct that wording.
“To answer your first question, I never actually discussed or went over anything as far as my past with Minnesota,” Diggs said. “I never actually said anything. So when you said that, that's why I was a little taken aback. But this new situation, I can say I’m excited. There is no right or wrong or problems to be fixed here or something to be replaced from my old situation. I have a lot of respect for the Minnesota Vikings. At the time the trade happened, you kind of have to look at it for what it is. But I never really was vocal about what I did or didn’t like (in Minnesota)."
It seems like Diggs is focusing on the technicality of the word "vocal." Because while it may be true that he never gave any public complaints or criticisms of his situation with the Vikings, he definitely made it clear that he wanted a fresh start elsewhere. There were the missed practices in October, which resulted in $200,000 worth of fines. There was the bizarre press conference where he said "I can’t sit up here and act like everything is okay because it’s obviously not" and "there's truth to all rumors." There were the endless cryptic tweets, and then the not-so-cryptic ones.
On the day of the trade, Diggs got more direct with his tweets. "It's time for a new beginning" was the one that set things off. He fanned the flames by replying to a fan, saying this time was different than his previous tweets and that "something's going to happen."
Sure enough, those tweets prompted calls from teams around the league, as Albert Breer reported in March. Before the day was over, Diggs had been traded to the Bills.
"I never really was too vocal about it," Diggs said later in his press conference on Wednesday, via ESPN. "'It's time for a new beginning' was enough said. I am super excited for my new situation."
In the end, things worked out about as well as they could've for all sides. Diggs got his fresh start, and the Vikings got a significant return that turned into Justin Jefferson, Kenny Willekes, and several 2021 draft picks.
Also in his press conference, Diggs talked about the "whooping" the Bills gave the Vikings in Week 2 of the 2018 season and spoke fondly about his new quarterback Josh Allen.
It'll be fun to see what Diggs can do with his new team in 2020, and it'll also be fun to watch the new receiver duo in Minnesota.
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