Early in Jon Gruden’s second tenure with the Oakland Raiders, he released talented but eccentric punter Marquette King. It was reported that Gruden and King didn’t mesh, perhaps because of how outspoken King is. Some of his antics really rubbed some former teammates the wrong way, especially Bruce Irvin.
Gruden made it clear that he wanted a culture shift, bringing in veterans who provide a good locker room presence. Following that trend, King was expendable despite being one of the best punters in the league.
Not too long after, the Raiders’ division rival Denver Broncos swooped in and signed King to a three-year deal. Rather unsurprisingly, before even playing a game for them, King is already making waves.
It all started with King ruining a radio interview with former Bronco Brandon Stokley because he didn’t want to talk about football. Oh the irony. As expected, King took his qualms to social media, targeting Darren McKee of 104.3, the same station King appeared on with Stokley.
In response, McKee tweeted at King telling him that he should apologize to Stokley for his behavior. Needless to say, King wasn’t too pleased with McKee’s advice.
Little advice. Go to Brandon Stokely – who played for the broncos two different times, played in the league for 15 years, is in the Louisiana sports hall of fame, is a fantastic father and husband and apologize for an incredibly disrespectful and rude interview. If you don’t want
— Darren McKee (@DMacSportsCO) August 5, 2018
King followed up on his tasteless tweet to McKee by threatening him at Denver’s training camp. Apparently, King approached McKee and said, “Keep my name out of your mouth.” The situation was defused by team representatives who had to escort King off the field.
Purely looking at his punting ability, few are better than King. Last season, he finished with an average distance of 47.4 yards, the third-highest mark for any punter in the league.
Undoubtedly, King is a supremely talented punter. But with this recent stunt, the Broncos must be realizing why the Raiders were comfortable with moving on.
