The damage control began immediately, and now defendant Zach Wilson, The Quarterback with Nine Lives, deserved to have his day in court.
Robert Saleh announced Wednesday that Wilson would be back at quarterback Sunday against the Texans following a two-game benching because he gives the Jets a better chance to win than the spark he was looking for from Trevor Siemian and from Tim Boyle, released on Tuesday, and Brett Rypien and Christian Hackenberg and Aaron Rodgers in his current state and Joe Namath at age 80.
Reluctantgate: Did Wilson or didn’t Wilson want the ball?
If Wilson didn’t tell the head coach he was reluctant to take the ball, and the head coach swears he didn’t, if Wilson told someone else, and he swears he didn’t tell a single teammate, why in the name of Julian Assange did someone else leak whatever it was he may or may not have said?
Conspiracy theorists couldn’t help but ask whether Saleh actually saved Wilson from the wrath of the locker room and whether unofficial guidance counselor Aaron Rodgers intervened forcefully on his pupil’s behalf to keep Reluctantgate contained.
In the meantime, Wilson found himself on the witness stand once again Wednesday evening, this time not for his play on the field but for whether he truly wasn’t keen on the idea of replacing the quarterback who replaced the quarterback who replaced him … allegedly because of injury concerns.
Q: Was there any truth to the Reluctantgate report?
A: “Absolutely not. Absolutely not. I love the guys in this locker room, and I would do anything. And I think anytime you have an opportunity to step on this field, you need to take advantage of it.”
And there it is:
He is innocent until proven guilty, and good luck bringing him to trial on someone said-he said.
“I believe, that for whatever reason, that when things go bad, things go bad like this,” Wilson said.
Welcome again to the Jets, kid.
“But I know this locker room and me have a great relationship and I’ve never once said that to anybody in this locker room that I wouldn’t want to play. Everybody knows I care about this team. Everyone knows I’m gonna do everything I can for the guys in this locker room, no matter the situation.”
And so now this is his moment to take advantage of the opportunity, his next last chance to write a better narrative than the one he has written in New York to date.
“I told [Saleh] I wanted the ball,” Wilson said, and Saleh will be giving him the ball again for the last five games.
He handled himself like a pro when he was pressed about Reluctantgate.
“I think I was frustrated obviously,” he said, “but at the same time, this New York media, you understand that’s part of it. Can’t say it’s been the first time we’ve dealt with it as a team and as a unit. It’s definitely not a distraction for us going forward, and I think it’s something we can put behind us, and I think the locker room’s in a good spot.”
You hope for his sake, for the remainder of his Jets career, for wherever he is next season, that Reluctantgate will not haunt Wilson.
In any sport, especially this one, that would be is anathema to gladiators who shed blood, sweat and tears and drag their screaming bones and compromised limbs into the fray to fight mostly without fear of consequence alongside their brothers.
“I think they can see I have no hesitation to play,” Wilson said. “I want to play for these guys and I would do anything for these guys. They mean the world to me, how everyone shows up every single day ready to battle.”
And of course there has been this irony lurking in and around the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center: Aaron Rodgers, 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers, Wilson’s idol, straining the way has been since the opener to fashion a historic and inspirational Achilles comeback miracle.
Wilson believes the controversies he has endured have made him stronger.
“He talked to us a little bit today about it,” Tyler Conklin told The Post.
What did he say?
“Just the fact that he wants to go out there and play with us and we’re gonna go out there and finish the season strong, and kinda how much we want to play together as a team and help each other,” Conklin said. “He’s gone through a lot over the past three years, gone through a lot this year, and I think he’s handled everything really, really well to be honest with you.”
Wilson said that he did not, however, address the team.
“I think more than anything, I’ve had support from those guys through this entire process,” he said. “I’ve had backing since Day 1, and that’s why I love this team so much. “
We hold these truths to be self-evident: The head coach summons you you to play, you play, and thank him for the opportunity. Whenever and wherever. End of story.
No matter how much and how often the organization has failed you since it handed you the opportunity of a lifetime and made you the second overall pick of the 2021 draft and how much and how often you proceeded to fail it.
“He’s fired up,” Saleh said.
Saleh’s message to Wilson: “Let it fly.”
Wilson’s message to Wilson: “When you see it, let it rip.”
It is a message that has gone in one earhole and out the other on too many occasions. “I’m gonna have more fun,” Wilson said.
He deserves the chance to have fun for a change. You hope for his sake, for the remainder of his Jets career, for wherever he is next season, that Reluctantgate will not haunt Wilson. He deserves better.
