LaVar Arrington Calls Joe Gibbs a 'Coward'

Former linebacker lets feelings be known

By JIM IOVINO

Updated 10:44 AM EST, Wed, Nov 12, 2008

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LaVar Arrington didn't leave the Washington Redskins on the greatest of terms several years ago. And while the death of Sean Taylor allowed him to mend a lot of the broken relationships, he still has some harsh words for Joe Gibbs and Dan Snyder.

Arrington recently talked to the Washington Times' David Elfin, and didn't mince words when it came to his former coach, who retired after last season with a year left on his contract.

"I called Joe Gibbs a coward for leaving," Arrington told the Times. "You came in, you made some money for your NASCAR team. No one else is going to say that. I'm sure more people thought I was a [jerk] for saying that. Joe wouldn't call me because he knows. There are a lot of people who know the truth about what went down with me and the Redskins."

Arrington told the paper he tried to make amends with the team's owner after Taylor's funeral last year. But he said Snyder wasn't having it.

"I think Dan Snyder is scared to death of me," Arrington said. "He won't look at me. I tried to shake his hand at that luncheon. He shook my hand and was like, 'How you doing, LaVar?' and kept moving. I'm probably the only person that's ever stood up to him and never backed down. I actually humbled myself to call Dan after Sean passed away to try to bury whatever me and him had going on between us. He called me back, and it was almost like he was reading a script."

And while Arrington said he still roots for the Redskins -- because of his connection with the fans, not the ownership -- he also wonders what might have been if he played for his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher said Arrington would have fit in well with Pittsburgh's 3-4 defense. Arrington agreed.

"I believe I would've rivaled Lawrence Taylor if I had gone to Pittsburgh," Arrington told the Times. "If I had played in a defensive system like Pittsburgh's, they wouldn't have been able to stop me. Think about how [coordinator] Marvin Lewis used me in a hybrid 3-4 where I was playing end. I led all linebackers with 11.5 sacks. And then he was gone [to Cincinnati], and my production was gone."

Read the rest of the interview here.